Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is the gold standard for any practising audiologist, and for families of infants and children with hearing impairment. EHDI programmes aim to identify, diagnose and provide intervention to children with hearing impairment from as early as six months old (as well as those at risk for hearing impairment) to ensure they develop and achieve to their potential. Yet EHDI remains a significant challenge for Africa, and various initiatives are in place to address this gap in transferring policy into practice within the southern African context. The diversity of factors in the southern African context presents unique challenges to teaching and research in this field, which has prompted this book project. The South African government's heightened focus on increasing access to health care which includes ongoing Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes, make this an opportune time for establishing and documenting evidence-based research for current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Early Detection and Intervention in Audiology: An African Perspective aims to address this opportunity. Grounded in an African context with detailed case studies, this book provides rich content that pays careful attention to contextual relevance and contextual responsiveness to both identification and intervention in hearing impairment. With diverse contributions from experts in local and international contexts, but always with an African perspective, this is textbook will be an invaluable resource for students, researchers and practitioners.

Ensuring optimal health for school children is a fundamental concern shared by families, teachers and the wider community. Medical practitioners, allied health professionals, educators and policymakers regularly collaborate in the first stage of attaining this goalin the early detection of childhood diseases and disorders through school health screenings. The value of this inter-professional practice is well recognized on a global scale, with school health screenings having a long history in all industrialized countries. Each year, millions of school children are screened for a wide variety of potential disorders, and many children are treated for disorders that might otherwise have gone undetected. This book is an important new book that examines elementary school screening programs from a number of perspectives. The history of school screenings and the ethical principles surrounding them are outlined, in addition to the methods by which screening program performance can be gauged. The common health disorders associated with young school children are comprehensively reviewed. Detailed chapters, written by international experts, are dedicated to specific school screening programs currently in place in developed nations, with each chapter signposting future directions for the field. For example, the chapters on school hearing screenings, dental health screenings and speech pathologist screening assessments provide in-depth descriptions of the individual screening programs, screening tests, result interpretation, personnel and equipment requirements and directions for system improvements. Topical issues that are currently of concern for all school health professionalsoptimal communication of screening test results to families and the need for integrated, non-discipline specific, data systemsare discussed in the final section of this book. For those working in the area of elementary school health screening, this book provides comprehensive information on school-based screening programs in a single up-to-date volume. This book will enable education and health professionals to better understand the whole school screening process and the role of other professionals in this highly worthwhile process.

Ensuring optimal health for newborns is a concern shared by a whole host of medical and allied health professionals. Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers from a diverse range of specialties regularly engage in collaborative practice in the first stage of attaining this goal; in the early detection of newborn diseases and disorders. In order to provide the highest quality of service, the Audiologist, for example, must not only be well versed in hearing screening systems, but also in genetic screening, as the new frontier of screening brings an amalgamation of these previously distinct systems. Until now, for those working/studying in the domain of neonatal health, there has been no single, up-to-date, all-inclusive information source on newborn screening programs. This title, by drawing on the knowledge of twenty clinical and research experts from varying fields, provides the only comprehensive text that details the entire collection of screening programs routinely delivered to newborns.Beginning chapters outline preliminary information applicable to all screening systems, for instance, the history and principles of screening, ethical and economic debates, along with thorough description of the conditions routinely screened for. Following are highly detailed chapters dedicated to the specific neonatal screening programs currently in use, as well as complimenting chapters that provide future directions for each field. Additional discussion of topical issues, such as the incorporation of genetic counseling into screening programs, optimal communication with families, and the advent of integrated, non-discipline specific, national data systems, are contained in the final chapters. This title assists the student in viewing their future neonatal clients as whole entities and in understanding the role of the other professionals with whom they shall closely interact. It allows the clinician to easily absorb the activities of screening programs on an international level, and the researcher to consider developments, outside of their immediate field, that may impact on their own research agenda.It allows the policymaker to make enlightened decisions concerning the development of newborn screening programs in their country. In fact, any reader with a rudimentary knowledge of pediatric health and an interest in newborn screening will find this title to be of invaluable worth.