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Biomedical subjects

R Boothman

Publications and source records attributed to R Boothman.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Value of screening for deafness in the first year of life.

Despite efforts to screen all babies for deafness within their first year, the handicap is still being detected later than is desirable. This study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of current audiometric screening programmes. Hearing tests were carried out on 535 infants between the ages of 6 months and one year using conventional tests, which depend on the infants' response to familiar sounds, and pure-tone audiometry. The results reveal inadequacies in both sets of tests which, coupled with a high default rate, may well account for the very small contribution that routine audiometric screening is making to the early diagnosis of deafness.

Age Factors

Predictive value of early developmental examination.

A developmental examination was carried out on 168 children at intervals over a 3-year period. The results suggest that developmental screening of this type is effective in picking out the "poor performers" who might well benefit from preschool education and extra health visitor supervision. On the other hand, the test given to children under the age of one year failed to pick out 2 children who were found to be moderately handicapped at the time of the 3-year examination. The study under-lined some of the problems of universal screening which require further research, and the need to assess the results of developmental screening clinic.

Age Factors