Objective: The frequency of occurrence of a recently identified hearing disorder, auditory neuropathy/auditory dys-synchrony (AN/AD), was investigated in children with hearing impairment in Hong Kong.
Methods: In this study, 56 students, aged 7-18 years, attending primary divisions in schools for the hearing impaired were screened using otoacoustic emission procedures.
Results: One student in the study group was found to have intact outer hair cell function. A detailed diagnostic assessment of this case strongly suggested AN/AD was involved. Combining the study results with those of a previously conducted survey in Hong Kong, the frequency of occurrence of AN/AD in children attending schools for the hearing impaired was estimated to be 2.44% (3 out of 123 children screened). Estimates of the frequency of occurrence of AN/AD in various other educational settings in Hong Kong were also derived.
Conclusions: The study indicates that AN/AD is not an extremely rare disorder. Educational audiologists and other health care professionals need to be actively involved in the identification and management of AN/AD. Research should be directed at technological innovations that may help to overcome the limitations of present screening procedures, in order to more accurately identify the disorder.