Break the Silence

Children in Cameroon, Africa are not being diagnosed with hearing loss until three years of age or older. Many are being 'identified' as having a hearing loss simply because they are not speaking or their speech and language development is delayed. Many have never had an actual hearing assessment. There are apparently several schools for the deaf and orphanages for deaf children in the country. Recently, a hearing aid company donated some cochlear implants to Cameroon and the children who were implanted were three years of age or older. This is too late. The first two years of life are critical for speech and language development. Cameroon has an urgent need for a universal infant hearing screening program. It would be great to launch a program in Yaoundé and then gradually extend it to other parts of the country. Together we can help identify children with hearing loss in infancy and provide them with appropriate intervention so they can access their residual hearing as soon as possible. Children who are deaf and who are implanted by one year of age usually need very little speech-language therapy. The benefits of early diagnosis of childhood hearing loss with appropriate intervention are well-documented.