Save time: Why early hearing screening is essential for children.

“We began to notice that he does not respond to his name”

Inna is a military medic from Zaporizhzhia. Due to constant Russian shelling of the city, she and her family moved to Kyiv. One of the main reasons for leaving was that the woman could not provide proper care for her son, three-year-old Nikita.

The boy has hearing impairment, which is why he attends a specialized kindergarten in Kyiv. Nikita started to gradually lose his hearing in early childhood after a prolonged illness. According to Inna, doctors initially insisted that there was no problem, claiming the child was completely healthy and would start speaking soon.

“We began to notice that he does not respond to his name. Time passed, but the situation did not change. We underwent examinations, and I was told that everything was fine. I knocked on every door, but no one listened to me,” recalls Inna.

On the advice of specialists, the family traveled to Dnipro for further examination. There, Nikita was diagnosed with a severe 4th-degree hearing impairment and was advised to urgently undergo cochlear implantation in Kyiv. Despite her confusion and fear, Inna decided to proceed with the surgery.

According to her, it was after the operation that Nikita began to listen and hear. The woman still does not know what exactly caused her child’s hearing loss, as she had never experienced anything like this, and no examinations were conducted in the maternity hospital. Inna believes that such diagnostics and general awareness of potential risks could significantly simplify life for mothers.

“I strongly recommend that during pregnancy planning, the importance of conducting such examinations on the first or second day after the child’s birth should be emphasized to women. Unfortunately, many mothers are completely unaware of such problems,” explains the woman.

Inna is convinced that awareness of risks, examinations, as well as prompt diagnosis and subsequent rehabilitation could help thousands of families and provide the opportunity to gain precious time.

“If there is even the slightest suspicion, it’s better to address it”

Daria lives in Kryvyi Rih. Almost all her time is dedicated to her son Andriy. For over a year, he has been wearing a cochlear implant. Currently, Andriy is working with speech therapists, and previously he also worked with a deaf educator and a psychologist from the NGO “Vidchuy.”

The child's hearing impairment manifested at an early age. After numerous illnesses, Andriy began to lose his hearing and by the age of 2 stopped responding to his name.

Despite Daria seeking help from doctors, her plans were shattered by the full-scale war. Together with her son, she fled to Poland, but was unable to receive the necessary medical assistance there.

“For about seven months, I was knocking on the doors of hospitals in Poland. Our appointments were constantly postponed or scheduled for a month later, new referrals were issued, but no examinations were conducted,” recalls Daria.

As time went on, she finally decided to return to Ukraine for a thorough examination. In Kryvyi Rih, Andriy was diagnosed with hearing impairment. According to Daria, she refused to believe the diagnosis, so she traveled to Kyiv for an additional examination of her son. However, the Kyiv doctors confirmed the child’s hearing impairment.

After the surgery, Andriy began to speak again. He required a long rehabilitation process and work with a deaf educator.

According to Daria, the biggest issue that causes parents of children with hearing impairments to lose time is the lack of examinations in maternity hospitals. It should be noted that until 2021, screening for hearing loss was almost never performed in Ukrainian maternity hospitals.

“It’s better to get examined and be at ease. If there is even the slightest suspicion, it’s better to address it… Although all this is frightening, once you live with it, you understand that there is nothing to fear. If we had done this, there would have been much more progress,” concludes Daria.

Inconsistency in screening practices, lack of necessary equipment and qualified specialists in some medical institutions, and low levels of parental awareness still pose significant challenges in Ukraine. However, the implementation of early hearing screening practices could help initiate timely rehabilitation, allowing children to fully develop alongside their peers.

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