The Sooner, the Better
(Adapted from Texas Deafblind Outreach, Summer 2001
https://www.tsbvi.edu/seehear/summer01/early-id.htm)
If you suspect that a child may not be able to use his/her hearing and vision effectively to communicate and gain information, please refer the family to the Florida & Virgin Islands DeafBlind Collaborative. https://deafblind.ufl.edu/welcome/make-a-referral-or-request-assistance/
During the first three years of a child’s life major neural networks are being formed in the brain. Much of this development depends on vision and hearing. These distance senses enable us to know about things and people in the world even when we are not in physical contact with them. After the first three years, neural networks develop more slowly. Skills that may be gained in early intervention will not develop as quickly when the child is older.
Every child, with or without disabilities, should have periodic vision and hearing checks. For a child with disabilities, this is especially important. It is too easy to attribute missed visual and auditory inputs and missing communication outputs to “global developmental delay.” The importance of ensuring that vision and hearing are within normal limits cannot be overstated.
Below are some syndromes, diseases and conditions that put a child at high risk for hearing and/or vision loss.
Pre-Natal/Congenital Conditions
- Congenital Rubella
- Congenital Syphilis
- Congenital Toxoplasmosis
- Cytomegalovirus
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
- Hydrocephaly
- Maternal Drug Use
- Microcephaly
- Neonatal Herpes Simplex
Post-Natal/Non-Congenital Conditions - Asphyxia
- Direct Trauma to the Eye and/or Ear
- Encephalitis
- Infections
- Meningitis
- Severe Head Injury
- Stroke
- Tumors
- Chemically Induced
Hereditary/Chromosomal Conditions
- Aicardi syndrome
- Alport syndrome
- Alstrom syndrome
- Apert syndrome
- Bardet-Biedl syndrome
- Batten disease
- CHARGE syndrome
- Chromosome 18, Ring 18
- Cockayne syndrome
- Cogan syndrome
- Cornelia de Lange
- Cri du Chat syndrome
- Crigler-Najjar syndrome
- Crouzon syndrome
- Dandy Walker syndrome
- Down syndrome
- Goldenhar syndrome
- Hand-Schuller-Christian
- Hallgren syndrome
- Herpes-Zoster (or Hunt)
- Hunter syndrome (MPS II)
- Hurler syndrome (MPS I-H)
- Kearns-Sayre syndrome
- Klippel-Feil syndrome
- Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome
- Kniest Dysplasia
- Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis
- Leigh Disease
- Marfan syndrome
- Marshall syndrome
- Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome
- Moebius syndrome
- Monosomy 10p
- Morquio syndrome
- NF-Neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen Disease)
- NF2-Bilateral Acoustic Neurofibromatosis
- Norrie disease
- Optico-Cochleo-Dentate Degeneration
- Pfieffer syndrome
- Prader-Willi
- Pierre-Robin syndrome
- Refsum syndrome
- Scheie syndrome (MPS I-S)
- Smith-Lemli-Opitz (SLO) syndrome
- Stickler syndrome
- Sturge-Weber syndrome
- Treacher Collins syndrome
- Trisomy 13-15 (Patau syndrome)
- Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome)
- Turner syndrome
- Usher I syndrome
- Usher II syndrome
- Usher III syndrome
- Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome
Professionals working with infants and young babies, as well as parents, should be
aware of the red flags that may indicate a problem with either vision or hearing.