Early Detection and Intervention for Unilateral Hearing Loss and Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss in Children: Clinical Practices and Outcomes

The advent of universal newborn hearing screening coupled with new and improved hearing technologies have contributed to early identification of congenital hearing loss and early application of developmental intervention to improve outcomes of deaf and hard of hearing children. Evidence on the impact of significant (moderate to profound) bilateral hearing loss on children’s development and the effectiveness of treatment through amplification or cochlear implantation guide current best practice. However, the natural history and impacts of early detection and intervention (including early amplification) on outcomes in children with unilateral hearing loss or mild bilateral hearing loss are not well understood.

Whereas the standard of practice for treatment of significant bilateral hearing loss is to provide hearing aids, cochlear implants and early intervention, there is continual clinical uncertainty and family indecisiveness on whether to fit hearing devices and how to best manage unilateral hearing loss or mild bilateral hearing loss in infants and young children to maximise outcomes.

The papers in this Collection highlight clinical practices and outcomes of children with unilateral hearing loss or mild bilateral hearing loss. By assembling these studies in an open access collection, we hope to consolidate the state-of-the-art evidence to empower policy makers and health-care workers in providing evidence-based practice for management of hearing loss in infants and young children.

We invite contributions reporting evidence from empirical studies using qualitative or quantitative methodology, cross-sectional or longitudinal studies, systematic reviews, and novel approaches to assessment and intervention. Papers that provide recent evidence for the effects of early identification of and early interventions for unilateral hearing loss or mild bilateral hearing loss through newborn hearing screening programs will be particularly welcomed.