Abstract
It has been suggested that the early identification of hearing loss affects several
aspects of children's development and is not restricted to audition and auditory skill
development. This article highlights the importance of early identification for personal-social
development and receptive and expressive language development. The language skills
of early identified children were considered a function of several demographic variables,
including mode of communication, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, age at test, and
gender. No significant differences in language development were found when early identified
children were compared according to these demographic variables. Although the mean
language scores for early identified children were within the low normal range, their
developmental quotients were significantly lower than those reported for normal-hearing
children. Consequently, several goals were highlighted for improving early intervention
outcomes
Key Words:
Early identification - language development - personal-social development
