Bess and Hearing Screening: Portending the Challenges in Children

ABSTRACT

This article summarizes the significant contributions of Fred H. Bess to the early detection of hearing loss in infants and children. Based on public health and educational policy, Bess challenged audiologists to view hearing screening as a responsibility that brought with it the need to develop screening tools that are effective in identifying hearing loss—whether for use with infants, preschoolers, or school-age children—and that adhere to important screening principles. A review of his influence on pertinent guidelines, position statements, and recommendations highlights his belief that early identification of hearing loss is critical if children are to overcome the significant obstacles presented by even mild and unilateral hearing losses. This section is followed by a review of seminal papers that stimulated research in universal newborn hearing screening programs and the detection of unilateral and minimal hearing loss. We conclude with a review of selected studies that build on Bess's earlier work and strive to drive our field forward to practices that are both evidence-based and effective in detecting hearing loss in children.

KEYWORDS

Newborn screening - impedance audiometry - unilateral hearing loss - minimal hearing loss

REFERENCES

• 1 Joint Committee on Infant Hearing .Year 2007 position statement: principles and guidelines for early hearing detection and intervention programs. http://Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/dci/10.1542/peds.2007-2333 Accessed December 12, 2008
• 2 US Preventive Services Task Force . Universal screening for hearing loss in newborns. US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.  Pediatrics. 2008;  122 143-148
• 3 Rosenfeld R M, Culpepper L, Doyle K J et al.. Clinical practice guideline: otitis media with effusion.  Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;  130(5) S95-S118
• 4 Bess F H, Dodd J D, Parker R A. Children with minimal sensorineural hearing loss: prevalence, educational performance and functional health status.  Ear Hear. 1998;  19 339-354
• 5 National Workshop on Mild and Unilateral Hearing Loss .Workshop Proceedings. Breckenridge, CO; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2005
• 6 Bess F H. Evidence-based audiology.  Am J Audiol. 1995;  4 5
• 7 Bess F H. Early amplification for children: implementing change. In: Seewald R A Sound Foundation Through Early Amplification. Proceedings of an International Conference Stäfa, Switzerland; Phonak 2000
• 8 Russell L B. The role of prevention in health reform.  N Engl J Med. 1993;  329 352-354
• 9 Harford E, Bess FH, Bluestone C, Klein J Impedance Screening for Middle Ear Disease in Children. New York, NY; Grune & Stratton 1978
• 10 Feldman A S, Northern J L, Rosenberg J, Wilbur L, Howie V M. Impedance screening for children.  Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1978;  87 738-739
• 11 Summary Reports on National-International Conferences . Use of acoustic impedance measurement in screening for middle ear disease in children.  Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1978;  87 288-292
• 12 Bess F H. Impedance screening for children: a need for more research.  Ann Otol Rhino Laryngol Suppl. 1980;  89(3) 228-232
• 13 ASHA . Guidelines for acoustic immittance screening of middle-ear effusion.  ASHA. 1978;  20 550-555
• 14 Paradise J L, Smith C G. Impedance screening for preschool children. State of the art.  Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1979;  88(1 Pt 1) 56-65
• 15 Paradise J L, Rogers K D. On otitis media, child development, and tympanostomy tubes: new answers or old questions?.  Pediatrics. 1986;  77(1) 88-92
• 16 Burchinal M R, Roberts J E, Koch M A, Footo M M, Henderson F W. Otitis media in early childhood and its relationship to later phonological development.  J Speech Hear Disord. 1988;  53 424-432
• 17 Bess F H, Paradise J L. Universal screening for infant hearing impairment: not simple, not risk-free, not necessarily beneficial, and not presently justified.  Pediatrics. 1994;  93(2) 330-334
• 18 Mehl A L, Thomson V. Newborn hearing screening: the great omission.  Pediatrics. 1998;  101 E4
• 19 Ruben R J. Effectiveness and efficacy of early detection of hearing impairment in children.  Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 1991;  482 127-131
• 20 Thompson D C, McPhillips H, Davis R L, Lieu T L, Homer C J, Helfand M. Universal newborn hearing screening: summary of evidence.  JAMA. 2001;  286 2000-2010
• 21 Norton S J, Gorga M P, Widen J E et al.. Identification of neonatal hearing impairment: summary and recommendations.  Ear Hear. 2000;  21 529-535
• 22 Johnson J L, White K R, Widen J E et al.. A multicenter evaluation of how many infants with permanent hearing loss pass a two-stage otoacoustic emissions/automated auditory brainstem response newborn hearing screening protocol.  Pediatrics. 2005;  116(3) 663-672
• 23 Bess F H, Klee T, Culbertson J L. Identification, assessment, and management of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 43-51
• 24 Bess F H, Tharpe A M. An introduction to unilateral sensorineural hearing loss in children.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 3-13
• 25 Bess F H, Tharpe A M. Case history data on unilaterally hearing-impaired children.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 14-19
• 26 Culbertson J L, Gilbert L E. Children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss: cognitive, academic, and social development.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 38-42
• 27 Bess F H, Tharpe A M, Gibler A M. Auditory performance of children with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 20-26
• 28 Klee T M, Davis-Dansky E. A comparison of unilaterally hearing-impaired children and normal-hearing children on a battery of standardized language tests.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 27-37
• 29 Bess F H, Dodd-Murphy J, Parker R A. Children with minimal sensorineural hearing loss: prevalence, educational performance, and functional status.  Ear Hear. 1998;  19 339-354
• 30 Giolas T G, Wark D J. Communication problems associated with unilateral hearing loss.  J Speech Hear Disord. 1967;  32 336-343
• 31 Tarkkanen J, Aho J. Unilateral deafness in children.  Acta Otolaryngol. 1966;  61 270-278
• 32 Bess F H. The unilaterally hearing-impaired child: a final comment.  Ear Hear. 1986;  7 52-54
• 33 Blair J C, Peterson J E, Viehweg S H. The effects of mild sensorineural hearing loss on academic performance of young school-age children.  Volta Review. 1985;  87 87-93
• 34 Davis J M, Elfenbein J, Schum D, Bentler R A. Effects of mild and moderate hearing impairment on language, educational, and psychosocial behavior of children.  J Speech Hear Disord. 1986;  51 53-62
• 35 Bess F H. The minimally hearing-impaired child.  Ear Hear. 1985;  6 43-47
• 36 Tharpe A M. Unilateral and mild bilateral hearing loss in children: past and current perspectives.  Trends Amplif. 2008;  12 7-15
• 37 Ross D S, Holstrum W J, Gaffney M, Green D, Oyler R F, Gravel J S. Hearing screening and diagnostic evaluation of children with unilateral and mild bilateral hearing loss.  Trends Amplif. 2008;  12 27-34
• 38 Eiserman W D, Shisler L, Foust T, Buhrmann J, Winston R, White K R. Screening for hearing loss in early childhood programs.  Early Child Res Q. 2007;  22(1) 105-117
• 39 Downs M P. Contribution of mild hearing loss to auditory language learning problems. In: Roeser RJ, Downs MP Auditory Disorders in School Children: The Law, Identification, and Remediation. New York, NY; Thieme-Stratton 2004: 233-249
• 40 Roeser R J, Downs M P. Auditory Disorders in School Children: The Law, Identification and Remediation. New York, NY; Thieme-Stratton 2004
• 41 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association .Guidelines for audiologic screening. http://Available at: www.asha.org/policy.1997 Accessed March 13, 2009
• 42 Sabo M P, Winston R, Macias J D. Comparison of pure tone and transient otoacoustic emissions screening in a grade school population.  Am J Otol. 2000;  21(1) 88-91
• 43 Culpepper N B, White K R, Weirather Y P. School-based TEOAE hearing screening for children with developmental disabilities.  Educ Audiol Monogr. 1997;  5 22-28
• 44 Keller W D, Bundy R S. Effects of unilateral hearing loss upon educational achievement.  Child Care Health Dev. 1980;  6 93-100
• 45 Stein D. Psychosocial characteristics of school-age children with unilateral hearing losses.  J Acad Rehabil Audiol. 1983;  16 12-22
• 46 Ebert K A, Prelock P A. Teachers' perceptions of their students with communication disorders.  Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 1994;  25 211-214