A unique databank that profiles children with hearing loss will help researchers globally understand why some children adapt and thrive, while others struggle.

The Victorian Childhood Hearing Impairment Longitudinal Databank, which has collected information for eight years, is featured in the latest International Journal of Epidemiology.

Its data shows that language development and speech in hearing-impaired children lags behind other children, despite advancements in earlier detection and intervention in the past decade.

The paper’s* lead author, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s (MCRI) Dr Valerie Sung, says researchers world-wide can use the databank to answer questions around childhood hearing loss.

«This register can help us understand why some children with a hearing loss do so well, while others experience greater difficulties,» she says.

«Universal newborn hearing screening is detecting hearing loss earlier than ever before, usually within a few weeks of birth.

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Materials provided by Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.