title: Incidence of hearing loss among children presented with speech-language delay.
abstract: Infants' first attempts to communicate with their environment begin shortly after birth. However, real words appear by age of 12-15 months. Any delay in expressing their needs verbally beyond this age is defined as speech delay and may be associated with a variety of pathological conditions. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of hearing impairment in those children presented with speech delay. Ninety-one speech-delayed children were audiologically assessed between March 1993 and March 1995. In 25 out of 91 children (27.4%) a moderate to severe hearing loss was detected, either sensorineural or conductive. The increased incidence of hearing impairment found in this group mandates a thorough hearing evaluation for any case of speech-language delay.
authors.affiliation: ENT Department, P. & A. Kyriakou Children's Hospital of Athens, Greece. mtsak@internet.gr
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Douniadakis
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Kalli
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Psarommatis
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Tsakanikos
authors.forename: N K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Apostolopoulos
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008403:Mass Screening; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*