Mild And Unilateral Hearing Loss Implications For Early Intervention

Newborn hearing screening has become a standard practice in most birthing hospitals in the (United States. Historically, the primary target for the identification of hearing loss has been infants with permanent bilateral loss of moderate degree or greater (ie, >40 dB). However, research indicates that without early identification and intervention, children with mild bilateral hearing loss or Unilateral hearing loss can have significant communication, academic, and behavioral difficulties (F. H. Bess, J. Dodd-Murphy, & R. A. Parker, 1998; R. Bovo et al., 1988). Communication between families and professionals is essential to develop intervention strategies that will optimize the outcome of such children. This article presents a brief review of the research and discusses issues related to mild bilateral hearing loss and unilateral hearing loss. Implications for early intervention services, including the importance of collaboration among professionals, are outlined. suggestions for intervention activities arc taken from professionals attending the 2005 National Workshop oil Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss, the Joint Committee oil Infant Hearing (JCIH) 2007 position statement, and various early intervention Web sites.