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Newborn Hearing Screens Give Babies a Smart Head Start

Hearing impairment can easily be overlooked because infants and toddlers cannot tell us they are unable to hear. Hearing loss is the most common birth defect, occurring in three out of every 1,000 babies born today. Since babies learn to speak by listening, the child who is unable to hear normally will have difficulty developing speech and language skills. The most critical years for speech and language development are from birth to three years of age. Early detection of hearing loss will enable you to obtain the special attention your child will need for language development as well as social, emotional and academic development.

Which organizations are supportive of universal screens?
The importance of early identification of hearing loss is also recognized by the National Institutes of Health, Joint Committee on Infant Hearing, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Otolaryngology, American Academy of Audiology and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. These organizations recommend universal hearing screens for newborns.

Newborn-screening mandates vary from state to state, within 38 states. For more information about state-mandates for Newborn Hearing Screens, visit our website at www.pediatrix.com/body_screening.cfm?id=117.

How is a hearing screen performed?
Many Newborn Hearing Screen Programs use an audiological screen known as auditory brainstem screening technology to detect potential hearing loss.

When anyone hears a sound, electrical pulses travel through the brainstem and into the brain. These electrical pulses move at a specific speed and energy level if a person's auditory system is healthy. Through the auditory screening technology, we are able to measure the speed and intensity of these pulses to determine if there is potential hearing loss. Trained hearing screeners place earmuffs over the newborn's ears that provide soft clicking noises. Small, attached electrodes then measure the speed and intensity of the pulses traveling to the brain.

An auditory brainstem screening technology does not cause the newborn any discomfort. In fact, because this procedure is so sensitive, the newborn must be asleep or in a relaxed state to ensure accuracy.

This screen does not confirm hearing loss, it only points out the potential for hearing loss and indicates the need for diagnostic testing.

What can I do if my baby has a hearing loss?
Intervention will depend on the type of hearing loss. Your baby will be referred for an audiological consultation to determine the appropriate treatment. If your child requires hearing aids, it is best to have the aids fitted before six months of age. It is also important that your child receive the appropriate follow-up and treatment. Infants can be fitted for hearing aids as early as one month of age.

Each year, Pediatrix screens several hundred thousand newborns throughout the country to detect possible hearing loss at the earliest stage. Since 1994, Pediatrix has been screening babies for hearing loss and considers universal hearing screens as the standard of care for all babies. Pediatrix recognizes that early detection provides the opportunity for babies to receive early intervention, which can make a lifetime of difference in the development of an infant's communication and cognitive skills.

Additional Resources: To learn more about newborn hearing screens, visit or find additional information from the website list below.

• Alexander Graham Bell Association for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
  World's oldest and largest membership organization promoting the use of spoken language by children and adults with hearing loss.
• American Academy of Pediatrics
  Information comes from the nation's leading children's health experts and has scientific research support.
• American Society for Deaf Children
  An organization of parents and families that advocates for deaf or hard-of-hearing children's total quality participation in education, the family and the community.
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
  An association working to ensure that all people with speech, language, and hearing disorders have access to quality services to help them communicate more effectively.
• Better Hearing Institute
  Educational information for the public and healthcare workers.
• Boys Town National Research Hospital
  Leading physicians and clinicians collaborate to provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment for children with hearing loss so they may communicate in the world around them.
• Centers for Disease Control
  New online section for Professionals and Parents is intended to help you find the information you want about infant hearing loss and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs.
• Deafness Research Foundation
  Research news and opportunities, advocacy and public education materials updates.
• Ear Foundation
  The EAR Foundation exists for three basic purposes:
  1) To provide the general public support services promoting the integration of the hearing and balance impaired into mainstream society.
  2) To provide practicing ear specialists continuing medical education courses and related programs specifically regarding rehabilitation and hearing preservation.
  3) To educate young people and adults about hearing preservation and early detection of hearing loss, enabling them to prevent at an early age hearing and balance disorders.
• Hearing Health Magazine
  HH online edition, newsflashes, current features and article archives.