1. Deaf or Hard of Hearing Children in Saudi Arabia:
STATUS OF EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

2. The aim of this presentation is to:
Summarize the current status of EI services provided for DFHH children in Saudi Arabia, in comparison with JCIH recommendations.
Clarify Reasons behind a significant delay access EI services.
Summarize the challenges faced by parents of DFHH children in suburbane areas in Saudi Arabia.

3. Delay of diagnosis and fitting of amplification
Event/delay
Mean (months)
Standard Deviation
Age when suspected HL
9.3
8.3
Age at diagnosis
13.7
Age at fitting
20.7
11.6
Delay of diagnosis
4.0
5.5
Delay of fitting
6.9
7.7
Age when intervention commenced(speech therapy).
32.8

4. Reasons of delay in accessing EI services.
Children not screened for HL
Postnatal onset of HL
Long procedures and waiting period for an appointment .
The distance participants lived from the EI facilities.

5. Age of fitting(months)
A significant relationship was found between participants’ area of residence and timely access to the EI services.
Residence area
Age of diagnosis (months)
Age of fitting(months)
0 – 6
7- 12
> 12mo
7-12
In Riyadh
Total= 19
Count 5 9 1 10 8
Percent
 26.3%
 47.4%
 5.3%
 52.6%
 42.1%
outside of Riyadh
Total= 41 7 19 15 33
17.1%
 46.3%
 36.6%
 2.4%
 17.1%
 80.5%
Total 12 28 20 2 17 41
Chi- Square Test
p=0.616
 p=0.012 *(p≤0.05statistically significant)

6. A significant relationship was found between the participant’s area of residence and the time it took to find professionals providing EI services.

7. Which in turn > affect the quality of services provided for them, since those who live outside of Riyadh prefer monthly sessions to avoid transportation difficulty.

8. Result:
Participants residing in Riyadh were fitted and enrolled into EI services earlier than those living outside of Riyadh. particularly those who have to travel long distances to specialized services
Challenges faced by population in the rural and suburban area in Saudi Arabia
Challenges with respect to transportation to specialized services.
Primary care doctor who first contacts the family.
A shortage of qualified professionals.

9. Conclusion & Recommendation
Limited services and the distance parents live from the EI facilities were most of the factors that impacted timely access to EI services.
Therefore, UNHS accompanied by appropriate EI services should be made available in all regions throughout Saudi Arabia.

10. Thank you
for
your attention
Questions?