Infant screening for deafness
In the vast majority of cases (90%) children are born deaf to hearing parents with no family history of deafness.Current screening for deafness takes the form of one-to-one distraction tests carried out by health visitors. This method fails to detect by the age of 18 months nearly half the 840 children born profoundly deaf every year. Nearly one quarter is as old as 3 before they are diagnosed. This late diagnosis can delay language development to the extent that these children never catch up with their hearing peers. It can also have a devastating effect on their communication, and social and emotional development.
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Otoacoustic emissions test
The Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) programme will use the Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) test. A tiny electronic signal is transmitted through the ear while the baby is sleeping, to create an Îechoâ that can be measured to ascertain the level of hearing. This will enable parents and professional to work together far sooner, to make certain that opportunities for language development are maximised during the formative years.A pilot programme began in 20 areas in England in September 2000. It is hoped that this will be in place across the UK by 2002.
