Hearing screening program for school going children in India: necessity, justification, and suggested approaches

Abstract

Background It is estimated that about 15% of students have transient hearing loss worldwide sufficient enough to interfere with communication, psychosocial relationship, and learning resulting in poor educational achievement and poverty. However, these conditions are reversible through timely detection and effective interventions. India is home to the largest number of school age children with hearing impairment, and majority of them remain undetected and untreated due to the absence of any dedicated hearing screening program. Therefore, this paper attempts to convince all stakeholders for planning and implementing early detection and intervention program for children with hearing impairment in school settings. Methods Recent literature estimates that children between the ages 0 and 14 years contribute 25.9% of the total Indian population. As per the global estimates of the prevalence of hearing impairment, India houses the largest number of school age children with hearing impairment. Many of them either remain out of school or perform poorly in school curriculum. Results The children in educational programs are readily and easily available for applying hearing screening procedures to detect hearing impairment and instituting audiological and educational remedial measures. But unfortunately, India has not yet envisaged any dedicated early detection and intervention program for school-going children consequently majority of children with hearing impairment undetected and untreated in the classroom. Conclusion Hearing impairment is a serious health concern among school age children which can adversely impact on communication, educational achievement, and vocational options. However, screening approaches for early identification in school age children across the world which are simple, effective, and cost-efficient can be considered for countries like India to reverse the ill effects of hearing impairment. Potential implication The paper may heighten the awareness among school personnel, educational administrators, and policymakers to consider planning and implementation of early detection and intervention program for children with hearing impairment in school settings.

Closing the gap: exploring the untapped potential of machine learning in deaf students and hearing students’ academic performance

“…Hearing is an important gateway to learning. In school environment, all the formal learning and educational activities are facilitated through the sense of hearing, so any hearing loss without providing learning accommodations compromises effective learning [21]. The major challenge faced by a deaf student is the communication barrier.…”

Pemeriksaan dan Edukasi Gangguan Pendengaran Pada Anak Panti Asuhan

“…Hal ini menyebabkan anak sukar berhubungan dengan orang lain dan prestasi belajar di sekolah jadi menurun. Bila kita tidak bisa mendengar dengan baik, hal itu akan berdampak pada kemampuan kognitif, emosional, dan psikososial (Ansari, 2021). Gangguan pendengaran dialami oleh lebih dari 5% populasi dunia dan sekitar 34 juta ditemukan pada anak-anak (WHO,2021).…”

“…Gangguan pendengaran pada anak usia sekolah merupakan masalah kesehatan yang perlu mendapat perhatian khusus karena dapat berdampak buruk dalam berkomunikasi, prestasi pendidikan, dan pilihan kejuruan nantinya. Untuk menghindari hal tersebut dan sebagai upaya deteksi dini, perlu dilakukan skrining pada anak usia sekolah dengan cara yang sederhana, efektif, dan hemat biaya(Ansari, 2021). Oleh karena itu, kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini bertujuan memberikan pengetahuan mengenai gangguan pendengaran dan melakukan pemeriksaan serta skrining pendengaran pada anak-anak di Panti Asuhan Aulia Al-Ikhlas Desa Sungai Pagar, Kecamatan Kampar Kiri Hilir, Kabupaten Kampar, Riau.…”