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Abstract

Children who are born deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH) are at increased risk for delays in language, cognitive and social-emotional development. Early identification through screening and early intervention (EI) can improve outcomes for children who are D/HH. However, a need remains to evaluate the effectiveness and practices of statewide programs for children who are D/HH. The Ohio EHDI Data Linkage Project was created as a state-wide collaborative that included multiple Ohio government agencies and an academic institution. The objective of the project was to develop and characterize population-based, longitudinal database that documents state-level services and outcomes for children who are D/HH identified through a state EHDI Program. The database includes information regarding birth data, EHDI program data, early intervention data, and early academic data. Children born in Ohio between 2008 and 2014 identified with permanent hearing loss (n=1746) served as the cohort for this project; 1262 records linked with EI data and 502 records linked with education data. Multi-agency linked databases contain novel combinations of data and can be valuable resources for public health evaluative and epidemiologic research. This resource can expand our understanding of the early predictors of academic success for children who are D/HH.

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