Objectives: Deaf and hard-of-hearing children are slow in language development, and language deficits are common in hearing-impaired children. Here, all areas of the language, including syntax, morphology, phonology, semantic and pragmatic, are involved, and this leads to a deficiency in reading and academic skills. Evidence shows that through early intervention, we can minimize or eliminate problems of children with hearing loss. Early intervention teaches parents how to communicate with their disabled child. Methods:Internet search in databases including ISI Web of Knowledge, Embase and Pubmed from 1990 to 2014 was conducted. Key words such as children with hearing loss, deaf children, hard-of-hearing, family education program(s), early intervention, early detection, family's approach, parent's approach, and parent's education program(s) were searched. Results:A total of 100 articles were initially found, and only 20 articles were finally selected for the study. The inclusion criteria for the study were as follows: the article should be interventional and written in English and should be published between 1990 and 2014. Discussion:Research showed the effectiveness of early intervention in the early development of language and vocabulary. In addition, early detection of hearing loss in the first 6 months of age has a positive impact on children and families interactions and consequently, on language and vocabulary development. The primary focus in the implementation of early intervention services is to reduce the negative effects of risk factors and facilitate optimum development over time. Finally, the combination of early diagnosis and early intervention for children with hearing impairment is necessary.

Objective Stuttering can negatively impact the quality of life and cause psychosocial problems for individuals who stutter. The Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering for Adults (OASES-A) is a comprehensive psychological test containing four components in which the fourth one focuses on the quality of life. The main purpose of this study is to examine the quality of life in individuals with and without stuttering, as well as the relationship (correlation) between stuttering severity and each component of OASES-A test in people who stutter. Materials & Methods Fifty-six adults with stuttering and 56 adults without stuttering participated in this cross-sectional study, and they were matched on age, sex, educational level, and vocation. The stratified random sampling method was used for the survey. The Stuttering Severity Instrument was used to evaluate the severity of stuttering through the oral reading of a 200-word (448-syllabic) text. Similarly, the quality of life was determined by the overall assessment of the speaker's experience of stuttering. Afterward, independent t-test, Chi-square test, correlation test, Levene's test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient were employed to analyze the relationship between quality of life and the components of the OASES test. The data analysis was performed with SPPS version 16. Results Our results showed that the mean quality of life score of people who stutter was higher than that of non-stuttering people, and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). We also found a significant correlation between stuttering severity and the quality of life (P<0.001). In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (P>0.68), gender (P>0.9), education level (P>0.65), and vocation (occupation) (P>0.92). Conclusion Based on the OASES-A characteristics, people who stutter had a lower level of quality of life. It was also found that the quality of life of people with mild and moderate stages of stuttering was better than the people at severe and very severe stages. In addition, age, gender, education, and vocation were found to affect the quality of life. Therefore, it is important to make positive changes in the psychological aspect of the assessment and treatment processes of adults with stuttering. In addition, attitude should be considered for better interactions in daily communications and to improve the quality of life.

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