Table 1.

Summary of findings and implications.

	Research findings	Implications for Practice
Scarinci et al. (this issue)	Parents were satisfied with support and information received after diagnosis from their rehabilitation audiologists and teachers. Some families expressed the need for extra help and support.	Intervention programs can do better by -attending to individual needs; -providing additional support and information for accessing services
Erbasi et al. (this issue)	Parents play a central role – work behind the scenes so that their child is prepared. They act as case managers to manage appointments, teachers to encourage language development, advocates for their child’s needs, and want to be parents.	Professionals need to -acknowledge the multiple roles and show sensitivity to parents’ involvement behind the scenes, -respect parents’ primary role as parents; and -empower parents by providing support so that they can fulfil the multiple roles.
Cupples et al. (this issue-b)	Early fitting of hearing aids is associated with better language and functional performance.	Streamline clinical pathway from screening to diagnosis to device fitting.
Cupples et al. (this issue-b); Ching et al. (2017b)	Early cochlear implantation is associated with better speech perception, language, and functional performance.	Evaluate effectiveness of amplification and monitor outcomes so that those who need cochlear implants can be referred at an early age.
Ching et al. (this issue)	Evidence-based protocols for hearing aid fitting provided consistent audibility when executed – hearing aids met prescriptive targets within 3dB root-mean-square (rms) error.	Consistent protocols and clinical support to promote adoption of evidence-based guidelines for achieving good fitting outcomes.
Incerti et al. (this issue)	For children who use cochlear implants, -no significant difference in threshold and comfortable current levels between 3 and 5 years of age. -For children without cochlea-vestibular abnormalities, those implanted before 12 months had higher threshold levels than those who were implanted after 12 months; when measured at 6 months after CI activation.	Improved fitting tools to enable children who received cochlear implants before 12 months of age to achieve optimal settings earlier.
Wong et al. (this issue)	PEACH is a concurrent predictor of language and psychosocial outcomes.	Use PEACH as a clinical tool for monitoring children’s progress in routine management.
Ching et al. (2013a)	Early PEACH at 6 or 12 months after fitting is a predictor of 3-year language outcomes.
Ching et al. (2017b)	Despite early fitting, children with hearing loss need better signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) than their peers with normal hearing. However, binaural unmasking was of a similar magnitude between groups.	-Fit hearing devices with technology to improve SNR in everyday listening; -Training to integrate audio with visual cues may support children who experience difficulties listening in noise.
Cupples et al. (this issue-a)	Children with hearing loss who have additional disabilities benefit from early fitting of hearing devices for language development.	Presence of additional disabilities should not be a reason for delaying amplification for children with hearing loss.
Cupples et al., (this issue-a, this issue-b)	Higher maternal education was associated with better language outcomes.	Intervention that encourages in all families the communication behaviour that presumably tends to occur more naturally in families with higher maternal education level would likely improve language outcomes.