Research indicates that up to 70% of Deaf/deaf children may experience vestibular dysfunction, affecting balance, coordination and broader aspects of development. Image: Spyrakot/stock.adobe.com. Vestibular dysfunction is not being routinely assessed in Deaf/deaf children, according to a parent-led organisation, leading to overlooked opportunities for help....
Audiologists working with deaf and hard-of-hearing children should consider routinely screening for vestibular dysfunction, as current evidence suggests it is common but widely untested in this population.
A large proportion of deaf and hard-of-hearing children may have undetected balance problems that affect their physical development, representing a significant gap in paediatric audiology care.
- 01Up to 70% of Deaf/deaf children may have vestibular (inner-ear balance) dysfunction.
- 02Vestibular dysfunction in children can impair balance and overall physical development.
- 03Vestibular testing is not being routinely conducted in the deaf paediatric population.
- 04Barriers to care — not yet fully defined in the abstract — are preventing access to vestibular assessment.
- 05The research calls for action to integrate vestibular testing into standard paediatric hearing care pathways.
Up to 70% of Deaf/deaf children may have vestibular dysfunction affecting balance and development.
studypartially supportedVestibular testing is not being routinely conducted in the deaf/hard-of-hearing paediatric population.
studysupported- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Deaf and hard-of-hearing children
- Intervention
- Vestibular function testing in deaf/hard-of-hearing children
Primary outcomes
Prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in deaf/hard-of-hearing children; Rate of routine vestibular testing in this population; Identification of barriers to vestibular care