Newborn Hearing Screening

Newborn hearing screenings consist of simple tests designed to identify hearing loss among infants. Such screenings are conducted on newborns by trained health professionals before the infants leave, or within three weeks of leaving, the hospital. For babies born at home, a hearing test should be conducted within two months from birth.

In the United States, most states conduct grant-funded newborn hearing screenings in hospitals.

Why are newborn hearing screenings important?

Hearing loss is among the most common congenital disorders, affecting up to four of every 1,000 infants. Babies are able to hear from birth and soon after learn to talk by listening to the sounds that they hear. Any hearing loss, therefore, will hinder the proper speech and language development of infants and may lead to more serious problems as they get older. It is recommended that early hearing screenings be conducted on infants before the age of 6 months.

How are newborn hearing screenings conducted?

There are two types of hearing tests for newborn babies. These tests are safe, painless and fast, taking only about ten minutes.

• Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs). This test uses a miniature earphone and microphone, both placed on the infant’s ears. Sounds are played and the baby’s response is measured. If an echo is heard in the ear canal, it means that the baby’s hearing is normal. When no echo is heard, it indicates hearing loss.
• Auditory brainstem response (ABR). Surface electrodes are placed on the baby’s forehead to detect the response to sounds played to his/her ears through small disposable earphones. The infant’s response is measured in waveform and compared with that of a template patterned after normal infant ABR. Results are evaluated as either pass or fail and do not measure the degree of hearing loss.

What happens if the infant fails the hearing screenings?

When an infant fails the initial hearing screening, he or she will be recommended for further, more detailed diagnostic tests. Failing the screening is not always a confirmation of hearing loss. In the United States, up to 10 percent of babies do not pass the first screening, yet some eventually develop normal hearing.

Babies who fail the initial hearing screening must come back for follow-up testing within a month. The follow-up test will determine whether medical intervention or other remedial measures need to be provided or if the babies’ parents need to be counseled.

It is also recommended that babies who pass the screening tests be brought back for follow up testing just to make sure that their hearing is normal or that they get appropriate medical attention in the case of diagnosed hearing loss.