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Sensory or Communication Disorders

Goal: Prevent sensory and communication disorders and improve quality of life for people who have them.

Many people in the United States will have a sensory or communication disorder in their lifetime. This includes problems with vision, hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, or language.  Healthy People 2030 focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating these disorders in people of all ages.

Sensory or communication disorders can have a major impact on social, emotional, and physical well-being. Some groups have a higher risk of these disorders, including people with low incomes, people who work in certain industries, and older adults. People who are diagnosed or treated later often have worse outcomes.

Preventive care like hearing screenings for newborns and comprehensive eye exams in adults are critical for finding and treating these disorders early. And strategies to increase use of eye and hearing protection can help prevent new cases.

Objective Status

  • 1 Target met or exceeded
  • 0 Improving
  • 3 Little or no detectable change
  • 1 Getting worse
  • 17 Baseline only
  • 2 Developmental
  • 3 Research

Learn more about objective types