title: Delay in auditory behaviour and preverbal vocalization in infants with unilateral hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of unilateral hearing loss (UHL) on early aural/oral communication skills of infants by comparing performance to infants with bilateral normal hearing (BNH).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-four infants with UHL (median age 9.4mo, 25th-75th centile 7.34-12.15) and 331 control infants with BNH (median age 9mo, 6.0-13.38) were divided into two subgroups based on risk factors known to cause developmental delay: low risk and high risk. Early auditory skills and preverbal vocalizations were assessed using two parent questionnaires: the Infant-Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale and the Production of Infants Scale Evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the infants with UHL, 21% showed delays in auditory behaviour and 41% delays in preverbal vocalizations, compared to their peers with BNH (p<0.01). After adjusting for risk level, delayed auditory behaviour and preverbal vocalizations were approximately four and nine times more common in infants with UHL compared to BNH respectively (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study to show that infants with UHL are at higher risk of delay in early aural/oral communication abilities compared to infants with BNH even in the absence of other known risk factors for developmental delay. This has important implications for early intervention and habilitation of infants with UHL, in order to reduce some of the negative long-term consequences of what was once considered 'minor' hearing loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kishon-Rabin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuint
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.|Speech and Hearing Center, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: Minka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hildesheimer
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.|Speech and Hearing Center, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: Daphne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ari-Even Roth
mesh_terms: D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D046088:Hearing Loss, Unilateral / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D007804:Language Development; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*