After a first prelingually deaf child, does the family learn a lesson?

BACKGROUND: Congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a common disability in children. It can affect normal language development and educational achievement. Today, the time to cochlear implant is delayed for many children, which in turn delays intervention and impacts outcomes. Lack of knowledge and experience with congenital SNHL in the family are critical factors that can delay identification and intervention. OBJECTIVES: Compare treatment seeking behavior in families for a first and second congenitally deaf child. Design: Analytical, cross-sectional using medical record data. SETTING: Ear specialist hospital in Riyadh. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All patients who presented to the cochlear implant committee from March 2016 to March 2018 and met criteria were included in the study. Data on when the subjects presented to hospital and were approved for cochlear implant were retrieved from the patient files and through phone calls to the family. The age of first suspicion, audiological testing, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, and the decision for cochlear implant were compared between the first and second child in families with multiple children with congenital SNHL. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The timing difference between the first and second deaf child in seeking treatment. SAMPLE SIZE: 116 (58 pairs). RESULTS: The second child was suspected to have hearing loss 13.6 months earlier than the first child and presented to the cochlear implant committee for final decision 16.7 months earlier than his\her sibling. Differences in the mean ages at suspicion of hearing loss, presentation to the hospital for audiological evaluation, hearing aid fitting, diagnosis, and decision for cochlear implant by cochlear implant committee were statistically significant (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Experience and knowledge has a major effect on early identification. We need to implement educational programs for the public to increase awareness of how to recognize a deaf child and what steps to take. LIMITATIONS: Single-centered. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.