698 - Screening for Hearing Impairment in School Age Children with Developmental Disabilities

Poster Board #: 698
Publication #: EP-117.698

Background: Failure to identify hearing loss in children may result in lifelong deficits. Individuals with developmental disabilities(DD) are often reported to have a high prevalence of undetected hearing disorders/loss. As part of the assessment of the child with DD, it is best practice to recommend a formal audiogram. However, in children over the age of 7, referrals to audiology are variable.


Objective: 1)To examine compliance of referral for formal audiogram for children older than 7y. in a university-affiliated inner city developmental center that serves children with DD; 2)to study the prevalence of abnormal audiograms and hearing loss in school age children and adolescents with DD.


Design/Methods: Review of all school age and adolescents referred for multidisciplinary evaluation to determine if the child had DDs in a developmental center from 1/2018 to 10/2020. Data included demographics, DD diagnoses, referrals for formal audiograms by clinicians at initial visit and results of audiogram. Statistics included chi-square, t-test and non-parametrics.


Results: Of all children evaluated in that period (n=359), 35 had no data available and 27 had previous formal audiograms. Data examined was based on remaining 297 children, 213 boys (72%), 84 girls (28%)age 10±2 y., 152(55%) bilingual English-Spanish households. DD diagnoses: Language Impairment(92%), Learning Disabilities(45%), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)(49%), Autism(18%), Intellectual Disabilities(ID)(11%). Of 297, 153 (51%) were referred for audiogram and 126 (41%) had audiogram done: 106 (84%) were normal, 20 (6% overall, 16% of those who had test done) were abnormal. Patients referred for formal audiogram were more likely to be younger (10±2 vs. 11±3 y. p=0.003) and be diagnosed with language impairment (58%vs.23% p=0.002), or ID(73% vs. 53% p=0.03), and less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (45% vs.59% p=0.003). Patients with abnormal audiogram (n=20) were more likely to be diagnosed with ID(11/20 55% vs.9/106 8% p<0.001).

Conclusion(s): Only half of a sample of inner city school age and adolescents with DD were referred for formal audiogram as part of a multidisciplinary evaluation, and at least 6% presented abnormal hearing findings. Children with language impairment and ID were more likely to be referred for audiological evaluations than those with ADHD. Given available treatments for hearing loss, efforts to improve referral and access are recommended.

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Authors/Institutions: Maria Valicenti-McDermott, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, United States; Ida Barresi, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, United States; Melanie Rosenthal, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, United States; rosa m. seijo, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, New York, United States