Assessment and Intervention in Language and Communication for Pediatric Populations with Hearing Loss

Dear Colleagues,

The effective management of pediatric hearing loss (HL) represents one of the most successful translational efforts in public health over the last decades. Thus, the current clinical focus, reflecting screening, diagnostic, and rehabilitative advancements in the field, is on assessment and intervention strategies after initial diagnosis and technological fitting to secure early and consistent access to a complete language modality, whether signed, spoken, or both, and to provide the tools, technology, and support to optimize cognitive, communication, and linguistic development.

Current advancements in objective biomarkers are expanding our understanding of the functional development of the central auditory pathways (CAEP, pupillometry), speech processing (fNIRS, EEG), and effective real-world usage and audibility of devices (device data logging), allowing clinicians to objectively verify the efficacy of individualized treatment plans, including patient-specific cochlear implant programming.

Given this background, we welcome contributions that will discuss new possibilities in precision medicine and data-driven approaches to rehabilitation, inform about further advancements in objective biomarkers of hearing abilities and neural plasticity, and present new insights into the strategies that may ultimately bridge the identified gaps in long-term outcomes, especially those mediated by socio-economic factors.

Dr. Amanda Saksida
Dr. Sara Ghiselli
Guest Editors

Dr. Marta Fantoni
Guest Editor Assistant

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