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DeafHear.ie campaign for the introduction of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) in Ireland
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) is now the general standard of care in many countries including the United States and Britain. Technology now means that UNHS is possible, and results show that combined with early support services, it is very beneficial for deaf children and cost-effective for the community. DeafHear.ie has identified the developments off UNHS in Ireland as a major priority and will be lobbying strongly for its introduction as soon as possible.
UNHS is now the general standard of care in many countries. Early identification of hearing loss means that early intervention is possible. It means that deaf children and their parents can focus on habitation, not rehabilitation. Like diagnosis of hearing loss, which is what continues to occur in Ireland, means that Irish deaf children often have a lifelong struggle to catch up with their hearing peers.
Some facts about UNHS:
68% of children born in Britain are screened for hearing loss at birth, and the average age of diagnosis is 13 weeks.
In the US, 80% percent of deaf children who had no additional difficulties were identified through UNHS and received early support services were within the normal ranges of language development at five years of age (Yoshinago-Itano, 2002).
DeafHear.ie has established an early intervention committee, comprised of visiting teachers for deaf people, audiologists, PHNs in and DeafHear.ie staff to help lobby for the development of UNHS and early support services.
In late 2004 the Program of Action for Children were due to issue a long awaited report on UNHS. We are still awaiting this report in February 2005. DeafHear.ie will be studying the report closely when it is issued and are lobbying strongly for the rapid introduction of UNHS to Ireland as soon as possible.
In the US, cost-benefit analysis indicates that the cost of UNHS is neutral after only four years, and that after this the savings that result from UNHS increased rapidly (Gorga & Neely, 2003).
Health professionals and parents/ guardians can access much useful information on early support services in Britain at www.espp.org.uk
Parents/guardians of deaf children will find the following web site very useful: www.deafnessatbirth.org.uk
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