DIAGNOSIS OF DEAFNESS IN THE VERY YOUNG CHILD

Abstract

THE deafness in the very young child is one of the most challenging and formidable problems facing the physician today. The age group of the very young child, for the purpose of this paper, falls within the range of 2 to 6 years. A complete prenatal and postnatal history, an otorhinolaryngological examination, an evaluation of the total behavioral symptomatology, and batteries of tests must be employed in order to assess the hearing function adequately or affix the cause of the communication disorder. The ultimate success of early language and speech development is dependent on the commencement of appropriate early training procedures following the accurate diagnosis of the impairment. It is generally recognized by educators that, in the absence of accurate diagnosis of the impairment, either therapy will be delayed or the wrong type of therapy may be applied. In the usual clinical situation much valuable time is lost before therapy