Newborn Infant Hearing Screenings
A First Check for an Auditory Impairment
Most states conduct newborn hearing screenings in the hospital. Funding grants for such result from the Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999.
What is newborn / infant screening? This is an initial test to identify hearing loss. Such a screening is done by trained hospital personnel before the newborn is released from the hospital.
How accurate are the screenings? It is possible for a hearing screening to miss a hearing loss. It is also possible for a screening to identify a loss that does not exist. If a newborn or infant is identified with a loss, further testing is done (at a later date) to check for accuracy. If a hearing loss is still suspected after two screenings, the family will be referred to a pediatric audiologist who will be able to conduct more extensive testing.
Although this may seem somewhat unreliable to parents, the risk of a child having an unknown loss is far greater.
How important is it to know if a newborn or infant can hear perfectly? Babies begin to understand words long before they talk. If a baby has a hearing loss, he may not develop vocabulary and language skills that are similar to other babies.
In addition to language delays, a baby with a hearing loss may have speech problems that relate to how he hears (or doesn’t hear words). A baby with a hearing loss may hear:
- Nothing
- Environmental sounds only
- Some speech
- Most speech excluding certain sounds and word endings
The earlier a baby is identified as having a hearing loss, the sooner he can be fitted for a hearing aid and detrimental effects of the loss will be minimized. The older a child gets before he has a hearing aid, the more speech and language difficulty he will have. A two year old for example who is fitted with a hearing aid will not instantly gain all the language skills missed since birth. Speech and language instruction at older ages is a long, difficult process.
Where can newborns and infants be screened for hearing loss?
- Hospitals
- Childbirth centers
- An audiologist’s office (if several screenings have been failed)
Additional articles on hearing loss:
Reading for the Hearing Impaired
Deaf Children Learn Fire Safety
