Introduction

Aims of the Module

With regard to the development of children who have a congenital hearing disorder, it can justifiably be claimed that, nowadays – in contrast to the situation in our parents’ and grandparents’ generation, when the available possibilities were far more limited – it is no longer the impairment in and of itself that is the actual problem, but the timing of its detection and treatment. The earlier these disorders are brought to light, the brighter the outlook for treating them. Present-day advances made, in terms of diagnostics, assistive hearing devices and therapy, enable the affected children to develop just as well as their hearing counterparts. Although a hearing disorder cannot generally be healed, the existing deficiencies can be well compensated for from an early stage, so that the child need not be disadvantaged by his or her impairment.

The aim of this Module is to raise awareness of the great importance of newborn hearing screening. We wish to provide good arguments as to why parents should not forego this screening. The Module will highlight why early detection of hearing disorders is such a priority, as well as the prospects associated with an early diagnosis and, subsequently, early habilitation.  The test procedures used will be outlined, along with the other conditions that must be fulfilled if newborn hearing screening is to be successful.

Learning rationale

Through self-study, readers should acquire a basic understanding of newborn hearing screening which they should be able to communicate in parent guidance work. The main learning goals are set out at the start of each chapter. Readers will also have the opportunity to assess for themselves how much they have learned by working through review questions for each chapter.