’Make screening for deafness in newborns mandatory in all hospitals'

The suggestion comes from the Consulting ENT Surgeons at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

Over 10 lakh babies are born with significant hearing impairment in India each year however, with early detection through screening and the ensuing intervention through cochlear implants and therapies, many can be treated to hear normally…

Consulting ENT surgeons at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, through an interactive briefing session organized today in the Capital, unanimously called for screening for deafness in newborns to be made compulsory across all heath care facilities in the country. The interactive briefing titled “Breaking the silence…” addressed all pertinent issues related to ‘Universal Newborn Hearing Screening & Early Intervention’ and how it can save scores of Indian children born with significant hearing impairment from turning deaf and dumb.

According to Dr. B.K Rao, Chairman, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, “A deaf may not be dumb right from his or her birth. In our country, deafness in children is often also associated with dumbness i.e. their inability to speak as well. And this is how the commonly used term “deaf and dumb” has come into origin. In reality, hearing impaired children do have the capability to learn and speak after birth, and often babble spontaneously. However, subsequently, they stop babbling and do no develop speech simply because they are unable to hear themselves and others around them. The unfortunate aspect is that hearing impairment in children often remains undetected, until the child is a few years old.”

According to Dr. Ashish Lahiri, ENT Consultant & Cochlear Implant Surgeon at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, “Children can learn to speak language only at a young age. As they grow, the “neural plasticity” or the flexibility of the brain to learn speech diminishes. When deafness is not detected early and deaf children are not treated early, they will not develop speech. Therefore mandatory newborn hearing screening and early intervention is imperative. In Europe, North America & Australia, newborn screening for deafness is mandatory. This should be emulated in India as well.”

Current international research studies have shown that children diagnosed before 6 months, and who receive appropriate and consistent treatment, have significantly better language levels than children identified after 6 months*. Deafness can be detected in children as early as a few hours after birth with modern diagnostic instruments such as an Oto-acoustic Emissions (OAE) Analyzer and ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) System that are available at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.

Elaborating on the treatment options available for children with severe hearing impairment, Mrs. Asha Agarwal, Audiologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital elucidates, “Hearing aids and cochlear implants are the treatment of choice, depending on the degree of hearing loss. There is no greater joy for a parent than to see their deaf child hear, learn to speak and go to a normal school. An increasing number of parents in India are opting for early diagnosis and treatment for their very young children”.

Mr. Sanjay Mishra, father of 9 year old Ayush Mishra, whose deafness was detected early and who received a Nucleus Cochlear Implant at 14 months of age adds, “Doctors advised us that deaf children can learn to speak only when they are very young and this valuable small time window should not be missed. Thanks to Asha Speech & Hearing Clinic’s Cochlear Implant Program, Ayush has learnt to speak and has the same opportunities to achieve his dreams that other children born with normal hearing capabilities have.”

About Asha Speech & Hearing Clinic at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital

Asha Speech & Hearing Clinic’s Early Intervention Program is a great example of professionals and technology working together to provide the benefits of early intervention to deaf children. The Clinic has state-of-the-art hearing assessment systems including an ASSR System (Auditory Steady State Response), ABR & OAE Systems manned by experienced audiologists. It also offers assessment prior to cochlear implants, post implant mapping and habilitation.