2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
Behavioral Hearing Assessments & Children with Developmental Delays
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends an audiologic evaluation as part of the initial assessment of any child with a developmental delay (DD) (Hyman, Levy, & Myers, 2020). Not only can a hearing loss coexist with DD, but the behaviors and effects of hearing loss can mimic different DDs making reliable exclusion or identification of hearing loss a critical component of medical care for children with DD. Traditional audiological assessment is based on assumptions of typical development and may be mismatched with the developmental, communication, and behavioral needs of children with DD. For example, children with DD may require support to adjust to novel task demands, to interact with new people and environments, to tolerate sensory components of the evaluation, and to communicate. Children with developmental disabilities are less likely than typically developing peers to complete a full behavioral audiogram (Bonino et al, in progress). This project retrospectively reviews charts of children who were unable to complete behavioral audiologic testing in one visit. Records were reviewed of children ages 2-7 years seen in audiology both through Ear, Nose, & Throat (ENT) clinic and privately through audiology alone. Data was collected on age, insurance type, use of interpreter, testing method, and presence of DD. Compared to children with no known DD diagnosis, patients with DD were more likely to require one or more follow-up visits even with the longer appointment times and test assistants afforded by a private audiology appointment. This suggests additional supports or testing modifications appropriate for children with DD, such as visual schedules and/or video models, may be beneficial to this population. Future research to evaluate this hypothesis is underway.
- Viewer will identify factors contributing to misalignment of traditional behavioral audiologic assessments with needs of children with developmental delay
- Viewer will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional audiologic procedures in children with and without developmental delay.
- Viewer will learn potential strategies to support children with developmental delay during the behavioral audiologic assessment.
Poster:
3353554_14924AndreaGatlin.pdf
Presenter: Andrea Gatlin
Andrea Gatlin is a clinical audiologist at Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs. Her clinical interests include working with Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plus children and their families.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Dani Stern is a clinical audiologist at Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs. Her clinical interests include working with Deaf/Hard of Hearing Plus children and their families, cochlear implants, and vestibular testing.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Debbie Mood is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with deaf and hard of hearing children, as well as with children with a variety of developmental disabilities. Her primary appointment within Developmental Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado emphasizes clinical assessment and treatment of developmental disabilities. Dr. Mood also participates on interdisciplinary teams specifically providing assessment for deaf and hard of hearing children.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -