title: Early onset of family centred intervention predicts language outcomes in children with hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the impact of age at diagnosis and age at onset of intervention on language outcomes in children with hearing impairments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Receptive and expressive language outcomes of a sample of 63 children (mean age 5;1 years) with hearing loss (mean 78dB, SD 25.3) enrolled in the only specific early intervention program in Upper Austria were assessed. The sample can be regarded as representative for children with significant hearing loss. For 89% the hearing loss was congenital. Language results were related to age at diagnosis, age at first fitting of hearing aids and age at enrolment in the intervention program. Confounding variables such as IQ, degree of hearing loss and family parameters were controlled for in regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early commencement of family centred intervention had a significant impact on language outcomes as opposed to age at diagnosis and age at fitting of hearing aids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In managing intervention in children with hearing loss, time between diagnosis and onset of early intervention should be kept as short as possible. However, age of entry to early intervention explained only about 4% of the variance in language outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Hospital of St. John of God, Seilerstätte 2, 4021 Linz Austria. daniel.holzinger@bblinz.at
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holzinger
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fellinger
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beitel
mesh_terms: D001299:Audiometry / Q000379:methods; D001317:Austria; D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006310:Hearing Aids; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014705:Verbal Behavior