Early Hearing Detection Bill Passes Congress, Awaits President’s Signature
WASHINGTON, DC — Following the lead of the US Senate, which passed the legislation on September 7th, the House passed the bipartisan Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act on October 3rd. The legislation, sponsored by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Doris Matsui (D-CA), would reauthorize EHDI programs for the next five years. According to the American…
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Rhode Island Establishes Commission to Study Early Intervention for Children with Hearing Loss
PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND — In legislation approved by the Rhode Island General Assembly, a joint legislative commission has been established to determine whether and how the state can better serve children with hearing loss. The special commission will be made up of 24 members, including legislators, healthcare professionals and representatives from organizations and agencies that…
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WHO Releases Report on Childhood Hearing Loss Prevention Ahead of World Hearing Day
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a new report, “Childhood hearing loss: act now, here’s how“. The report coincides with the upcoming World Hearing Day on March 3, attempting to raise awareness that 32 million children worldwide live with disabling hearing loss and suggesting that 60% of that estimate (more than 19 million) could be…
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Newborn hearing screening test may hold the key to saving babies from SIDS
By David H. Kirkwood SEATTLE—Imagine that when a newborn infant is screened for hearing loss, as is done routinely in every U.S. state and in many other countries, the same test could also determine if the baby is at risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the mysterious condition that kills some 4000 seemingly healthy…
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Childhood hearing loss increasing in the U.S., study in Pediatrics finds
The incidence of hearing impairment among children rose by 15% between 2001 and 2011, according to a study published last week in Pediatrics, an online publication of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The article, “Changing Trends of Childhood Disability,” reported an overall increase of 15.6% in childhood disabilities of all types over that period…
Read MoreASHA campaign alerts Americans to early signs of hearing and speech problems
ROCKVILLE, MD—The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the early warning signs of speech, language, and hearing issues. The initiative, dubbed Identify the Signs, was inspired by a survey of ASHA members that found that public lack of awareness of the signs of communications problems is the…
Read More360 million have disabling hearing loss, but WHO says it need not be that way
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND–More than 360 million people, about 5% of the world’s population, have disabling hearing loss, according to estimates released by WHO (the World Health Organization) just in time for International Ear Care Day on March 3. That number is more than the total population of the United States or of any other country except…
Read MoreOhio program provides free hearing aids for babies
CINCINNATI—For nearly a decade, Ohio has screened all newborn babies for hearing loss. As a result, twice as many infants are having their hearing impairments identified soon after birth as was the case pre-universal screening. That has provided audiologists with an opportunity to address hearing losses very early, at a time when hearing aids or…
Read MoreMassachusetts is latest state to mandate hearing aid coverage for kids
BOSTON—After several years of lobbying by the Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition and other advocates, a bill was signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday (August 7) that will make hearing aids more affordable for parents of hard-of-hearing children in Massachusetts. The new law, “An Act to Provide Access to Hearing Aids for…
Read MoreWeb site offers help for parents of children with hearing loss
ST. PAUL, MN–When parents suspect or find out that their child has hearing loss, they may not know where to turn. Now, thanks to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), they have a new online source of information on early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) for infants and children. The site <www.improveehdi.org/mn> is intended also…
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