Improving Hearing Care for Children with Developmental Disabilities

In this Hearing Horizons podcast episode, Hearing Review Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich talks with Angela Bonino, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and director of the school's Children's Auditory Perception Laboratory, to discuss her research on why children with developmental disabilities tend not to get the best hearing assessments, and what can be done to change that.
During their conversation, they discussed:
• How children with developmental disabilities have a significantly higher risk of hearing loss but often lack timely access to assessments.
• Why many of these children face challenges in receiving essential hearing tests, which delay diagnosis and care.
• Why audiologists should adapt hearing assessments to fit the unique developmental profiles of children with disabilities for better results.
• How working closely with pediatricians and other professionals ensures children with developmental disabilities receive proper, ongoing hearing care.