LittlEARS auditory questionnaire as an infant hearing screening in Germany after the newborn hearing screening

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of using the LittlEARS (R) Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ (R)) as part of the infant hearing screening programme in Germany. Design: LEAQ (R) s were distributed to 47 paediatric practices and were completed by the parents/guardians of the infants (aged between 9-14 months) involved in the study (= LEAQA (R) screening). The infants who failed the LEAQA (R) screening were invited to a LEAQ rescreening. Infants who failed the LEAQA (R) rescreening were sent to a paediatric ENT specialist. After 3 years, a follow-up was performed on two groups: the first group comprised infants who failed the LEAQ screening; the second group (control group) comprised 200 infants who passed the LEAQ screening. Study Sample: 5316 questionnaires were returned. Results: Six infants with permanent hearing loss were identified using the LEAQA (R) as a screening tool. Conclusions: An infant hearing screening using the LEAQA (R) is easily implementable in paediatric practices and may be a good alternative in countries where no objective screening instruments are available. The LEAQA (R) was suitable for monitoring hearing development in infants in general and could help to identify a late-onset or progressive hearing loss in infants