CHILDHOOD HEARING LOSS AND LANGUAGE DELAY: THE ROLE OF EARLY SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY INTERVENTION

Abstract

Children’s language development is directly linked to the functioning of the auditory system and is essential for the acquisition of language and communication skills. Any changes that interfere with the functional performance of this system can cause significant impairments in a child’s overall development. Objective: This study aims to investigate the relationship between hearing ability and language acquisition processes, with the goal of analyzing the importance of early speech-language intervention in children with hearing loss. Methodology: This is a literature review, with a search for scientific articles conducted in the PubMed, Scielo, BVS, and Google Scholar databases, considering publications from 2020 to 2026. Results: The studies show that prognoses are better for children diagnosed through neonatal hearing screening who subsequently undergo early interventions, yielding superior outcomes compared to those of children diagnosed later. Conclusion: Speech-language pathology intervention is essential when performed immediately, as it helps minimize the impacts of hearing loss on child development, resulting in satisfactory outcomes and preventing potential delays in spoken language.