The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) applauds the 2007 Position Statement by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH).

“Principles and Guidelines for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs” appears in a recent issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The article provides complete, updated standards of early hearing detection and intervention systems, including identification of hearing problems in infants in neonatal intensive care units, detailed specifications of screening and diagnostic protocols for hospitalized and well infants, and requirements for improved data management and tracking in all states and internationally.

As a founding member of the Joint Committee, ASHA is proud to have contributed to the JCIH position statements for more than 30 years, and was a major contributor to the development of the new guidelines. ASHA continues to call on legislators, healthcare providers, insurers and parents to learn more about infant hearing so every child will have the opportunity to develop strong language, cognitive and social skills to last a lifetime.

Great strides have been made in screening infants in the United States for hearing loss since the last JCIH recommendations were released, with an increase from 38 percent to 92 percent of newborns screened from 2000 to 2007. Alarming, though, is the lost opportunity to help children identified at birth with possible hearing loss: Half of the infants who need follow-up screening, diagnosis and treatment are not receiving any further services.

“It is essential that every child has not just hearing screening, but those important follow-up diagnostics and then interventions that make sense for the growing child and their family,” says Noma B. Anderson, PhD, CCC-SLP, president of ASHA and a speech-language pathologist. “Each situation is different, so a comprehensive plan is critical to supporting each child as they develop skills in language development, critical thinking, communication and social skills to help them develop into adulthood.”

“We hope that the new recommendations of JCIH will facilitate the development of seamless systems of care to guarantee that all infants who fail a newborn hearing screen will receive timely diagnosis and intervention,” says Betty Vohr, MD, a neonatologist and chair of the JCIH.

Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association