ABSTRACT According to population-based prevalence data, more than 40% of children diagnosed with a hearing impairment have a mild to moderate bilateral or unilateral hearing loss. Prior to newborn hearing screening, these degrees of loss were not identified until early school-age. While studies highlight the challenges of late-identified children with such a loss, little is known about the effects of early identification. This descriptive study explored the impact of mild to moderate bilateral and unilateral hearing loss on children in the early school years. Thirty-two children (aged 5–9 years) were evaluated cross-sectionally with a battery of tests to measure speech-language, phonology, and components of literacy skills. Parents also completed a questionnaire on functional auditory skills. Most outcomes were within the range of expected scores for children with typical hearing. In most cases, however, parent-reported functional auditory skills were lower than published norms. Some phonological processing skills were also below the average expected for children with typical hearing. In particular, 46.4% of children were below one standard deviation of the normative mean on the phonological memory score. Subgroup comparisons between children with unilateral (n = 17) and bilateral (n = 15) hearing loss showed no difference on all outcomes (p > 0.05). While scores should be interpreted with caution given the small sample size, findings reinforce the need for additional research on children with mild to moderate bilateral and unilateral hearing loss who benefit from early identification.

中文翻译：

---

学龄早期单侧和轻中度双侧听力损失儿童语言和读写能力的描述性研究

摘要 根据基于人群的患病率数据，超过 40% 的被诊断为听力障碍的儿童有轻度至中度的双侧或单侧听力损失。在新生儿听力筛查之前，直到学龄早期才发现这些程度的损失。虽然研究强调了这种损失的晚期识别儿童的挑战，但对早期识别的影响知之甚少。这项描述性研究探讨了轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失对学龄前儿童的影响。通过一系列测试对 32 名儿童（5-9 岁）进行了横断面评估，以测量语音语言、语音学和识字技能的组成部分。家长还完成了一份关于功能性听觉技能的问卷。大多数结果都在正常听力儿童的预期分数范围内。然而，在大多数情况下，父母报告的功能性听觉技能低于公布的规范。一些语音处理技能也低于正常听力儿童的平均水平。特别是，46.4% 的儿童在语音记忆分数上低于标准平均值的一个标准差。单侧（n = 17）和双侧（n = 15）听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异（p > 0.05）。虽然鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。然而，父母报告的功能性听觉技能低于公布的规范。一些语音处理技能也低于正常听力儿童的平均水平。特别是，46.4% 的儿童在语音记忆分数上低于标准平均值的一个标准差。单侧（n = 17）和双侧（n = 15）听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异（p > 0.05）。虽然鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。然而，父母报告的功能性听觉技能低于公布的规范。一些语音处理技能也低于正常听力儿童的平均水平。特别是，46.4% 的儿童在语音记忆分数上低于标准平均值的一个标准差。单侧（n = 17）和双侧（n = 15）听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异（p > 0.05）。虽然鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。一些语音处理技能也低于正常听力儿童的平均水平。特别是，46.4% 的儿童在语音记忆分数上低于标准平均值的一个标准差。单侧 (n = 17) 和双侧 (n = 15) 听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异 (p > 0.05)。鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。一些语音处理技能也低于正常听力儿童的平均水平。特别是，46.4% 的儿童在语音记忆分数上低于标准平均值的一个标准差。单侧（n = 17）和双侧（n = 15）听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异（p > 0.05）。虽然鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。单侧（n = 17）和双侧（n = 15）听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异（p > 0.05）。虽然鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。单侧 (n = 17) 和双侧 (n = 15) 听力损失儿童的亚组比较显示所有结果均无差异 (p > 0.05)。虽然鉴于样本量较小，应谨慎解释分数，但研究结果强调需要对从早期识别中受益的轻度至中度双侧和单侧听力损失儿童进行额外研究。