The prevalence of permanent childhood hearing impairment continues to rise after birth over a wider age range than had previously been reported and reaches a higher plateau.

For every 10 children with a permanent hearing impairment >40dB identified by a neonatal screening programme, a further 5-9 children will manifest such an impairment by the age of 9 years.

Paediatric services, both audiology and general child health should be aware of this and provide appropriate services to identify and confirm hearing impairment in these children.