Early hearing-loss diagnosis keeps Maddison on track for greatness

Newborn screening programs give families a head start on treatment

Story by Vanessa Gomez

CALGARY — Many children with hearing loss are born to hearing parents and, in most cases, there’s no history of hearing loss in the family.

Life brought a new challenge for Lindsay Craig and her family when their daughter, Maddison, was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss a month after birth. Alberta’s Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) delivered the news after performing an Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) assessment.

“It was a shock. We had to learn so many things in order to understand her hearing loss, such as new terminology and technology,” says Craig, who advocated to ensure Maddison got interventions early to address her hearing loss.

“Hearing is important for many areas of child and brain development. Hearing loss can delay your child’s speech, learning and social skills,” says Dr. Patti-Jo Sullivan, provincial director of Audiology. “Early screening means we can provide timely intervention to optimize language, development and overall health outcomes for infants.”

In a few short months, Maddison’s family spent time with a speech pathologist, audiologist, social worker, infectious disease doctor, pediatrician and an ophthalmologist to get the care needed for her development.

“At five months, she was fitted with a trial pair of hearing aids. Along with that came a new learning curve — finding the best way to keep them on her head,” says Craig. “We even had the opportunity to get together with other parents who were going through similar hearing-loss journeys as we learned how our child will experience the world.”

Fast forward to the present, and five-year-old Maddison has just completed her first year of kindergarten. She loves school, and tells the world she wants to be a ‘kid doctor’ and work at the ‘rainbow hospital’ when she grows up.

She’s on track with her speech,” adds Craig. “She’s so enthusiastic and bubbly. She loves to sing and talk.”

Craig urges new families to take advantage of early screening. “With screening, parents can be aware of the things their children need, so they can get the support they need to intervene early. The earlier you get that support, the better the outcomes can be,” she says.

“Had we not been able to detect Maddison’s hearing loss, we might have had to play catch-up later — and required far more extensive support from the system.”

Craig would also like to offer some reassurance for families who may be dealing with a new diagnosis: “Life is still just as beautiful.”

Learn more about Alberta’s Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Program.