Faculty of Humanities
School of Professional Social Sciences
Department of Communication Pathology
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Approximately 2 000 babies are born daily with permanent bilateral hearing loss or acquire it in their first few weeks of life. At least 90% of these babies reside in developing countries like South Africa. Undetectable by routine clinical examination, infant hearing loss is only identified after critical developmental periods for language acquisition have passed if screening is not provided. The far-reaching effect of late identification is evident in poor linguistic, cognitive and socio-emotional development, which undermines literacy skills, academic achievement and ultimately educational and vocational outcomes. Fortunately, unlike many other congenital or early-onset disabilities, infants with hearing loss have the prospect of excellent outcomes that potentially match those of their hearing peers, provided the loss is identified early and intervention initiated by six to nine months of age. This has led to the widespread implementation of universal screening programmes in countries like the USA and the UK, where more than 95% of all newborns are screened for hearing loss to ensure that those with hearing loss are provided the opportunity to develop to their maximum potential alongside their hearing peers. Prof De Wet Swanepoel has been at the forefront of investigating infant hearing loss in South Africa. His research endeavours in this field have included the extent and impact of infant hearing loss and the status of early detection and intervention services in South Africa. A recently published article reported the first national survey of early detection services in the public health care sector of South Africa, which serves 85% of the population. Results indicated that less than 10% of infants in South Africa have any prospect of having their hearing screened at or shortly after birth. A follow-up study is underway to survey such services in the private health care sector. Pilot studies are also underway to assess contextual infant hearing screening models in the South African health care context, including a clinical trial of a promising screening device and a screening programme implemented at primary health care clinics where the screening is scheduled to coincide with the six-week immunisation visit. These research projects are part of a larger endeavour to provide contextual answers to the problem of infant hearing loss in South Africa so that optimal outcomes may be assured for all
Contact person: Dr DCD Swanepoel.
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