Communication and school readiness abilities of children with hearing impairment in South Africa: A retrospective review of early intervention preschool records.
Ntsako P Maluleke, Katijah Khoza-Shangase, Amisha Kanji
PMID 30843413WHAT IT FOUND
Children with hearing impairment in South African early intervention preschools were identified late, received amplification late, and started services late.
Five of eight had delayed communication, and five of eight lacked age-appropriate school readiness.
Key findings
01None had newborn hearing screening, and hearing impairment was identified at a mean age of 2 years and 3 months.
02Amplification was provided at a median age of 2 years and 8 months, and early intervention began at a mean age of 2 years and 5 months.
03Five children had delayed receptive and expressive language, and five children did not attain age-appropriate school readiness.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only eight children were included, all from two early intervention preschools in Gauteng. The study was a retrospective record review, not a trial or comparison study, so it cannot show whether early intervention caused the outcomes. The children came from upper middle-class to upper class backgrounds, and children with co-morbidities such as cognitive impairment were excluded. Data were taken from existing preschool records and graduation reports, not from new assessments. The children had graduated from early intervention preschools and were 9.7 to 12.7 years old at data collection, so the records describe preschool graduation reports, not school performance.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these delays as proof that early intervention preschools fail. The study was a retrospective record review of eight children, not a comparison study, and the participants came from upper middle to upper class backgrounds.