Assessment of the Audiological Profile and Related Risk Factors for Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Children with Speech and Language Delay

Hearing is crucial for the development of language skills. Many infants and young children with undiagnosed hearing impairments, particularly those with mild to moderate severity and no apparent risk factors, miss out on much of the critical early phase of language and speech development. This cross-sectional, hospital-based observational study was conducted at GSVM Medical College and LLRH Hospital on children aged 6 months to 5 years over a 12-month period. The study aimed to correlate the severity of hearing impairment with speech-language delay and to identify risk factors linked to sensorineural hearing impairment. A strong positive correlation was found between the degree of hearing loss and severe speech-language delay (defined as a delay in three or more items on the LEST scale), with a correlation coefficient of r=0.78. Among the risk factors, children with a family history of permanent childhood hearing loss and those admitted to the NICU for five or more days were 7.11 and 6.93 times more likely, respectively, to develop hearing loss. The study concluded that even mild or unilateral hearing loss can adversely affect a child's speech and language development, underscoring the need for early detection through cost-effective, highly sensitive audiological screening tests. Furthermore, understanding the common risk factors for hearing loss in a given region is vital for creating effective prevention strategies and early intervention programs.