Incidence of Hearing Loss in Preschoolers Presenting With Delayed Speech

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess hearing level of preschoolers with delayed speech in order to detect any underlying hearing loss Methods: In this research we targeted preschool children with speech delay, who have not been previously diagnosed with any medical or psychological illnesses. A total of 54 preschool speech-delayed children were audiologically assessed in our clinic in the past year. The age at time of referral ranged from two to 7.4 years. In this study, we focused on auditory brainstem response (ABR) test done to assess level of hearing. Results: Out of the 54 children with delayed speech assessed in our clinic in the year 2023, there were 36 males and 18 females with a ratio of 2:1 male to female. Thirty-three children underwent the test and passed the test with normal hearing level. Only one child was found to have sensory neural hearing loss. A total of 20 (37%) children did not undergo the test as their parents noticed improvements in their speech lowering the possibility of hearing loss. A total of 23 patients have been diagnosed with neurodevelopmental disorders after referring them for psychological evaluation and IQ testing.

Conclusion: A great number of healthy preschool children with speech delay were found to have normal hearing. In this case, the otolaryngologist should be aware of the possible underlying clinical entities, especially of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric nature.