Colleagues and friends from all over the world will meet in Italy to discuss and share ideas, models and results on the most recent research in hearing screening, audiologic and medical diagnosis, intervention for infants and children with hearing loss, as well as models for hearing surveillance and outcomes for infants and children identified early. Both basic scientific advances and clinical studies will be presented under the form of platform communications and poster presentations. To let delegates concentrate on the most important topics, the number of concurrent oral sessions will be limited to two.

As a specific component of the NHS, a special event is being planned, a Guidelines Development Conference on Auditory Neuropathy (AN), with state-of-the-art information on identification, diagnosis and management of children with AN.
This event is co-sponsored by the Bill Daniels Center for Children's Hearing, The Children's Hospital - Denver, Deborah Hayes and Yvonne Sininger, Co-Chairs.

Topics of Interest

Submissions to present at the NHS are particularly encouraged on:

• Neuromaturation and plasticity
• Genetics of hearing loss
• Auditory Neuropathy
• Cochlear implants
• Technological improvements in diagnosis and Hearing Aids
• Steady State Evoked Potentials
• Intervention strategies for infants
• Changing criteria for cochlear implantation in early infancy
• Outcome measures of early intervention

Other topics of interest are:
Physiologic measures of audiological function - Language development, cognition and deafness - Newborn hearing screening - Audiological assessment - Clinical decision making in the audiological test battery - Aetiological evaluation - Mild and unilateral hearing loss - Information management, tracking and monitoring - Program evaluation and quality issues - Outcomes of early identified children (long lasting programs) - Language outcomes in infants with cochlear implants - Medical and surgical intervention for hearing loss - Pediatric hearing health services - Family-directed services for deaf and hard-of-hearing infants - Family counselling - Web-based resources for parents and professionals - Impact of deafness on family systems - Perspectives of the Deaf community - Parents' perspective.

The scientific sessions will be complemented by a comprehensive Exhibition.
Ample time will be allowed for all attendees to visit the exhibits and speak with exhibit representatives.

Important dates:
- January 25, 2008: Deadline for abstract submission;
- end of February 2008: Notification of acceptance and format (poster/oral);
- March 15, 2008: Deadline for early registration and hotel reservation

Further details will be available on the NHS 2008 Conference webpage.