One out of every 1,000 has serious or profound hearing loss.

Dawn Doig, Audiologist, and one of three Distortion Production Oto Acoustic Emission (DPOAE) devices used to check for inner ear function. One of the devices was purchased by the Elks Club. - Chris Puglia/NNSL photo

Difficulties hearing can, if not caught early, have a negative impact on a child's life, according to Dawn Doig, audiologist with Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Without an early identification process hearing problems can go unnoticed for years.

"Sometimes, it's not until they start speaking that it is identified," said Doig.

"The first three years is critical to speech and language development. Children (three and older) who are fit with hearing aids never catch-up because the auditory system hasn't been stimulated enough. Since I've been here, I've picked up kids who weren't identified until they were four so they were already passed that critical stage."

Through a partnership between Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Health, a universal baby screening system is being implemented to help catch hearing loss early.

The program will allow for the assessment of infant hearing and, if need be, have children fit for hearing aids as early as six months.

"What's exciting is you can take something like hearing loss or deafness, that used to be profoundly disabling, and eliminate it," said Shirley Johnson, director of rehabilitation at Stanton.

Currently only infants with hearing loss risk factors, such has family history, maternal rubella, also known as German measles, Down's Syndrome and premature infants with low birth rates are screened.

"The thing is, 50 per cent of children who are born with hearing loss are not born with those risk factors," said Doig.

The program is expected to begin at the two territorial hospitals in Yellowknife and Inuvik sometime in 2003.

Johnson said they are just working on ensuring all the aspects of the program are in place.

"Right now we want to make sure we have the whole process set, specifically, the follow-up that's going to be required," said Johnson.

Once set up, the program will be the only full territorial-provincial universal screening program in the country.

But, Doig adds, there are only two hospitals in the territory. The program will mean more work for Doig, who is already swamped as she is the only audiologist in the NWT.

She said it's worth it though.

"Identifying a child at two or three, they are not as compliant and they are not as easy to assess. It will add to my work load, but we're hoping that will change as soon as the audiometric technician starts," said Doig. Recruiting is also still ongoing for another audiologist.