title: The impact of universal newborn hearing screening on long-term literacy outcomes: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the benefits of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) seen at age 8 years persist through the second decade.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study of a population sample of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) followed up for 17 years since birth in periods with (or without) UNHS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Birth cohort of 100 000 in southern England.
  
  
  METHODS
  114 teenagers aged 13-19 years, 76 with PCHI and 38 with normal hearing. All had previously their reading assessed aged 6-10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Birth in periods with and without UNHS; confirmation of PCHI before and after age 9 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Reading comprehension ability. Regression modelling took account of severity of hearing loss, non-verbal ability, maternal education and main language.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Confirmation of PCHI by age 9 months was associated with significantly higher mean z-scores for reading comprehension (adjusted mean difference 1.17, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.97) although birth during periods with UNHS was not (adjusted mean difference 0.15, 95% CI -0.75 to 1.06). The gap between the reading comprehension z-scores of teenagers with early compared with late confirmed PCHI had widened at an adjusted mean rate of 0.06 per year (95% CI -0.02 to 0.13) during the 9.2-year mean interval since the previous assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The benefit to reading comprehension of confirmation of PCHI by age 9 months increases during the teenage years. This strengthens the case for UNHS programmes that lead to early confirmation of permanent hearing loss.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  ISRCTN03307358.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pimperton
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Hazel
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Blythe
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kreppner
authors.affiliation: Developmental Science Research Department, UCL, London, UK.
authors.forename: Merle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahon
authors.affiliation: Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Emmanouela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Terlektsi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Worsfold
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Ho Ming
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Colin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006320:Hearing Tests / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D000067010:Literacy; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011932:Reading; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Deafness; Neurodevelopment; Outcomes research; Screening