Current requirements for early hearing detection and intervention at bilateral congenital profound hearing loss

Bilateral congenital hearing impairment is a serious lifelong handicap for the disabled child, especially due to the limited reception of information, distorted speech development, different way of communication, and limitation in social relations including career advancements and income expectations. The consequences of hearing impairment can be reduced by diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitation procedures, which involve early diagnosis of hearing, active support of auditory perception by hearing aids and, if indicated, cochlear implantation. Because of the most recent changes in the methodology of screening for hearing impairment and the advance in hearing diagnostics and therapy to an earlier age, the authors aim to highlight these trends and publish the current re-quirements for optimizing comprehensive care for children with congenital hearing impairment.