Recognising the need for expanding the Newborn Screening Programme (NBS), the Mysuru-based All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH) has joined hands with the Department of Health and Family Welfare for sensitising the medical teams working under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) on screening communication disorders in children.
According to AIISH, children born with hearing loss will not develop speech since they don’t hear it. While the global standards prescribe that hearing loss should be confirmed by two months of age and treated by three months of age, the age of identification in India is late (beyond 3 years). “Such late identification is a hurdle in the successful management of children with hearing loss,” states the AIISH, a premier institute under the aegis of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI.
The institute developed a dedicated NBS through which infants are screened for speech, language and hearing disorders within a few days of their birth at bedside in 17 hospitals in Mysuru city and 30 outreach service centers. Each month, more than 6,000 newborns are screened through the programme and children at risk for speech, language and hearing disorders are identified well within one month of their birth. However, around 65,000 infants are born each day in the country calling for expansion of the NBS programme.
