The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) has released an updated position statement on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs, emphasizing the importance of early identification and intervention for infants who are deaf or hard of hearing. The statement aims to improve outcomes for these children and their families by providing clear guidelines and best practices. Key points include: 1. **Terminology**: The JCIH uses inclusive and culturally sensitive language, such as "infant or child who is deaf or hard of hearing," to reflect the diverse hearing levels and backgrounds of affected individuals. 2. **Executive Summary**: EHDI activities, starting with newborn hearing screening and ending with early intervention, have significantly improved outcomes. Universal newborn hearing screening has lowered the average age of identification, but timely diagnosis, amplification, and referral to early intervention remain critical. 3. **Global Benchmarks and Rationale**: The JCIH emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, implementation standards for EHDI information systems, and continued surveillance of auditory and speech-language development, especially for infants with delayed-onset or progressive hearing loss. 4. **Newborn Hearing Screening Programs**: Multidisciplinary teams, including audiologists, physicians, and nurses, are essential for establishing effective screening programs. Audiologists should oversee the development and implementation of screening protocols, ensuring reliability and validity of equipment. 5. **Audiology Oversight**: Audiology oversight is crucial for state/territory hearing screening programs, both at the systems and individual program levels. This includes periodic on-site and remote surveillance, training staff, and monitoring program statistics. 6. **Screening Protocols**: The JCIH recommends using automated OAE and auditory brainstem response (ABR) technologies for screening. ABR is preferred for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) due to a higher prevalence of neural hearing losses in this population. 7. **Rescreening and Follow-up**: Timely rescreening and follow-up are critical. Outpatient rescreening should be performed as soon as possible after hospital discharge, and all results should be reported to the state EHDI program. Families should be informed about the importance of follow-up and provided with accurate, culturally sensitive information. 8. **Pediatric Diagnostic Audiology**: Audiologists with specific skills and equipment are responsible for audiologic diagnosis and early intervention. Referrals to audiology centers are necessary for accurate diagnosis and timely intervention. The JCIH's guiding principle is to continuously improve EHDI systems, focusing on lowering the age of identification and ensuring timely and effective interventions to enhance language and social-emotional outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) has released an updated position statement on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs, emphasizing the importance of early identification and intervention for infants who are deaf or hard of hearing. The statement aims to improve outcomes for these children and their families by providing clear guidelines and best practices. Key points include: 1. **Terminology**: The JCIH uses inclusive and culturally sensitive language, such as "infant or child who is deaf or hard of hearing," to reflect the diverse hearing levels and backgrounds of affected individuals. 2. **Executive Summary**: EHDI activities, starting with newborn hearing screening and ending with early intervention, have significantly improved outcomes. Universal newborn hearing screening has lowered the average age of identification, but timely diagnosis, amplification, and referral to early intervention remain critical. 3. **Global Benchmarks and Rationale**: The JCIH emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis, implementation standards for EHDI information systems, and continued surveillance of auditory and speech-language development, especially for infants with delayed-onset or progressive hearing loss. 4. **Newborn Hearing Screening Programs**: Multidisciplinary teams, including audiologists, physicians, and nurses, are essential for establishing effective screening programs. Audiologists should oversee the development and implementation of screening protocols, ensuring reliability and validity of equipment. 5. **Audiology Oversight**: Audiology oversight is crucial for state/territory hearing screening programs, both at the systems and individual program levels. This includes periodic on-site and remote surveillance, training staff, and monitoring program statistics. 6. **Screening Protocols**: The JCIH recommends using automated OAE and auditory brainstem response (ABR) technologies for screening. ABR is preferred for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) due to a higher prevalence of neural hearing losses in this population. 7. **Rescreening and Follow-up**: Timely rescreening and follow-up are critical. Outpatient rescreening should be performed as soon as possible after hospital discharge, and all results should be reported to the state EHDI program. Families should be informed about the importance of follow-up and provided with accurate, culturally sensitive information. 8. **Pediatric Diagnostic Audiology**: Audiologists with specific skills and equipment are responsible for audiologic diagnosis and early intervention. Referrals to audiology centers are necessary for accurate diagnosis and timely intervention. The JCIH's guiding principle is to continuously improve EHDI systems, focusing on lowering the age of identification and ensuring timely and effective interventions to enhance language and social-emotional outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.