18th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 3-5, 2019 • Chicago, IL
Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children with Hearing Loss
In the United States, 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). In children with hearing loss, the prevalence is estimated to be as much as three times higher (Carr, Xu, Yoshinaga-Itano, 2014). Children with ASD are typically diagnosed by age 3 or 4 (Elder, 2017). However, in cases of dual diagnosis of hearing loss and ASD, the identification of ASD is significantly delayed compared to normal hearing children because symptoms of ASD and hearing loss can look similar (such as not responding to their name and overall language and social communication delays) (Christensen et al., 2016; Mood and Shield, 2014). Referral for audiological testing is often the first step for children with suspected developmental disabilities in order to determine whether or not hearing loss is the sole contributor to their delays. In a previous survey of audiologists conducted through JKF Partners at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, more than half of the audiologists surveyed reported that they are not comfortable screening for ASD nor did they think it was within their scope of practice. However, screening children with hearing loss when there is suspicion of ASD is important to reduce the risk of a delayed diagnosis. Additionally, according to the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA, 2018), screening for disorders related to hearing loss for the purpose of appropriate referral is within the scope of practice for audiologists. The goal of this project is to follow-up on the previous survey to provide resources and education to increase comfort and awareness for audiologists screening for ASD so that a delay in diagnosis for children with suspected ASD is reduced.
- To understand the role of audiologists in screening and early detection of autism spectrum disorder.
- To increase familiarity of characteristics of autism spectrum disorder for appropriate referrals.
- To provide education on screening tools that can be easily administered by audiologists.
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Presenter: Ashley Malley
Ashley
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Haley McTee is a third year doctoral student in the Doctor of Audiology program at the University of Colorado Boulder. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder with a double major in Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences and Psychology. She is a LEND fellow, as well as the representative of Colorado for the National Student Academy of Audiology. In the future, she is interested in working with the pediatric population, and hopes to specialize in Cochlear Implants. She is also interested in early language acquisition, sign language, and Deaf culture.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.
Sandra Gabbard is an Associate Professor of Audiology at the University of Colorado where she is the Coordinator of the Pediatric Audiology LEND MCHB training grant, which supports AuD students and post-doctoral audiologists to expand their expertise in pediatric audiology. In addition, Sandra is the CEO/President and audiologist at the Marion Downs Center, a non-profit community clinic which provides services in audiology, speech therapy, and more.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Deborah Mood, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with Developmental Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She has a Ph.D. in school psychology from University of Northern Colorado and a specialist degree in school psychology from Gallaudet University. Dr. Mood completed a LEND psychology postdoctoral fellowship at JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine, after completing an APA accredited psychology internship at the University of Minnesota. She specializes in working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as children with a variety of developmental disabilities including autism spectrum disorder.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -