Audiology Clinical Practice Guideline: Cleft Palate/Craniofacial and Syndromic Patients
BC Children's Hospital. (2012).
Vancouver, BC (Canada): BC Children's Hospital, (Website Version), 2-44.
This guideline provides recommendations for the audiologic assessment of children with cleft palate or craniofacial anomalies and children with syndromes including CHARGE, Usher, and Down syndrome.
BC Children's Hospital (Canada)
Children should receive audiologic assessment following insertion of myringotomy and/or ventilating tubes.
Additional audiologic assessments (after initial assessments in the first year) may be recommended at age two, three, three and a half, four, five, six, seven, eight, and/or ten for children with cleft palate or craniofacial anomalies.
Since children with cleft palate are at a high risk for conductive hearing loss, these children should receive a full diagnostic auditory brainstem response (ABR) test prior to three months of age. Children should receive audiologic assessments at nine months and at ages two, three, four, five, and six.
All children with cleft palate or craniofacial anomalies should receive newborn hearing screening.
It is recommended that children with aided permanent hearing loss receive audiologic assessment every six months through age four, then annually at five, six, seven, eight, and ten years of age.
For older children, sedated auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing should be considered if hearing status remains unknown after repeated assessments.
If conductive hearing loss is observed at any time, children should be referred to a general practitioner or otolaryngologist.
If hearing status remains unknown after two infant diagnostic auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests, the child should be referred for a consultation with a clinical audiologist. For older children, sedated ABR testing should be considered if hearing status remains unknown after repeated assessments.
