Early onset of family centred intervention predicts language outcomes in children with hearing loss

Abstract

Objective To investigate the impact of age at diagnosis and age at onset of intervention on language outcomes in children with hearing impairments. Methods Receptive and expressive language outcomes of a sample of 63 children (mean age 5;1 years) with hearing loss (mean 78 dB, SD 25.3) enrolled in the only specific early intervention program in Upper Austria were assessed. The sample can be regarded as representative for children with significant hearing loss. For 89% the hearing loss was congenital. Language results were related to age at diagnosis, age at first fitting of hearing aids and age at enrolment in the intervention program. Confounding variables such as IQ, degree of hearing loss and family parameters were controlled for in regression analyses. Results Early commencement of family centred intervention had a significant impact on language outcomes as opposed to age at diagnosis and age at fitting of hearing aids. Conclusion In managing intervention in children with hearing loss, time between diagnosis and onset of early intervention should be kept as short as possible. However, age of entry to early intervention explained only about 4% of the variance in language outcomes.