[Experiences from the county of Norrbotten: screening of hearing at the age of four crucial for detecting mild hearing impairment].

Since the eighties the formerly well established hearing screening performed at the age of four has been debated, partly for economic reasons. One quarter of Sweden's counties have since then abolished it. But how many children do we detect by this screening? What significance does it have for a child that those around it are aware of a mild hearing impairment? In Norrbotten, in all, we found 123 children born 1989-1992 with a hearing impairment. The prevalence was 7.9 per thousand. 30 percent of the children were detected at the 4-years hearing screening, and of these 0.9/1,000 had a hearing impairment that was bilateral, 1.0/1,000 unilateral and 0.5/1,000 impairment only in the high frequencies. Also children with mild bilateral or unilateral hearing impairment can experience difficulties in school and among friends, especially in noisy surroundings, and benefit by knowing early about their hearing impairment.