Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Introduction: Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) has been adopted based on the assumption that with early identification of hearing loss (HL), children will have access to optimal amplification and intervention at younger ages, therefore, taking advantage of the brain's maximal plasticity. One particular challenge for parents in the early years is achieving consistent hearing aid (HA) use which is critical to the child's development and constitutes the first step in the rehabilitation process. This study examined the consistency of hearing aid use in young children based on data logging information documented during audiology sessions in the first three years after hearing aid fitting. Methodology: The first 100 children who were diagnosed with bilateral hearing loss before 72, with least two HA evaluation sessions included in the study. Data from each audiology session (age, average hours of use, etc.) and complementary information were collected. Results: Preliminary statistical analysis showed the median hours of use in the first follow-up session is about 4h per day and 47% of the children use the HA less than 5 hours a day. However, by the third follow-up session the median of use increased to 9h per day and 38% of children used the HAs more than 10 hours a day. Factors like age and level of HL significantly impact the hours of use. The use of data logging information to assess the actual hours of HA can be a powerful tool to identify problems and to encourage and assist families in maximizing their child's hearing potential. Conclusion: The use of data logging information to assess the actual hours of HA provides an opportunity to examine the: a) challenges of families of young children with HAs, b) factors that impact use in very young children. Data logging when used collaboratively with parents, can be a powerful tool to identify problems and to encourage and assist families in maximizing their child's hearing potential.