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statewide EHDI goals. What is the age of screening, diagnosis and intervention?
If goals are not being achieved, what are the barriers to timely identification
and intervention? Are children leaving early intervention with
expressive and receptive language skills that are similar to those of their
hearing peers? What are the children’s language outcomes as they move
through preschool and at ages 4, 5 and 6? These questions are being addressed
through data collection efforts involving staff from several EHDI
components. Answering them will take time, but progress is under way.
The OES–BEGINNINGS database now includes age of identification, age of
hearing instrument fitting, age of early intervention, type and intensity of
intervention and level of parent involvement. Also included is a description
of the type and degree of hearing loss and, when known, the etiology. The
database includes other conditions or disabilities that co-occur with hearing
loss as well as specific language outcomes at age 3 based on the Preschool
Language Scale-Fourth Edition (PLS-4; Zimmerman, Steiner, & Pond, 2002).
The outcomes from the OES and BEGINNINGS longitudinal study should
eventually provide the information needed to better evaluate the success of
the state EHDI programs and provide guidance for program review and
improvement. Preliminary findings indicate that nearly half the children are
scoring within the average range for total language as measured by the PLS-4.
Efforts are now underway to combine language measures with developmental
assessments in order to better understand and interpret each child’s progress.
Other Statewide Collaboration
Child Health Audiology and Speech-Language Consultants
North Carolina is fortunate to have the services of regional audiology and
speech-language consultants employed by the Division of Public Health. Six
child-health audiology consultants cover the entire state to provide a variety
of services, including tracking infants referred from newborn screening,
monitoring hospital compliance with screening protocols, conducting inservice
training for screening personnel and providing technical assistance
regarding newborn screening. Seven child-health speech-language consultants
work with the audiology team to assist with tracking, surveillance and
follow-up. They also assist families with applications for assistive technology
and enrollment in children’s special health services.
Continuing Education for Parents and Professionals
Each year EHDI programs in North Carolina collaborate to plan and deliver
a statewide conference on topics relevant to early identification, assessment
and intervention. On even years UNC hosts a two-day pediatric
Statewide EHDI Collaboration 271