EarWorm

Pregnant women are commonly educated about a variety of ways they should take care of themselves in order to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Some of the most widely known precautions women are advised about during pregnancy are actually quite rare while one of the greatest risks to the health of a developing fetus remains largely undisclosed to women, cytomegalovirus or CMV which is t...

The joy of welcoming a new child can be mixed with surprise and various emotions for families learning that their child is deaf or hard of hearing. Suddenly faced with understanding their child's needs and finding ways to support their child’s success, these families are fortunately not alone. A range of dedicated professionals, including audiologists, healthcare providers, teachers of the deaf, s...

When a child is diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing, families suddenly face an unexpected and often challenging situation. They have to start navigating a flood of information and start making crucial decisions about how they will be communicating with their child. Although these families often have access to qualified experts for guidance through this process, the support of primary care provide...

Approximately 40% of early childhood hearing loss and deafness can be attributed to a virus known as cytomegalovirus, usually referred to as CMV. If a pregnant individual contracts CMV, it can be transmitted to the fetus in-utero. Approximately 1 out of every 200 babies is born with CMV of which 90% will present as asymptomatic and will likely go unidentified. Of those it is estimated that 10-15%...

The newborn hearing screening system known as the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention or EHDI system is lauded as one of the most significant public health achievements of that last several decades.  Approximately 3 in 1000 children are identified with a permanent hearing loss as a result of newborn screening.   Despite the significance of this programmatic achievement it is estimated that th...

Increased availability of quality early hearing screening and diagnostic services over the last several decade has been revolutionary. With an early identification of hearing loss parents are able to make important decisions about how to ensure their child will have access to language, one way or another, so that they can thrive in all areas of development. Current technology is also making it inc...

We all make assumptions as we navigate various challenges in life. Many of those well tested assumptions allow us to function very efficiently but sometimes our assumptions may be incorrect. In this episode we will be talking about one family’s experience that illustrates this point in the context of a young child’s development that took an unexpected and unnoticed turn. It is a story of a child w...

During the well child visits that start within the first several weeks after a baby is born, the pediatrician or other health care provider begins to monitor a number of health and development concerns, one of which is to check the child’s newborn hearing screening result. If a newborn doesn't pass a hearing screening conducted before hospital discharge, or one performed within the first few weeks...