Identifying Hearing Loss in Newborn Babies
Every day, 33 babies with permanent hearing loss are born in the United States. Audiologists have always been proponents of early identification of these children.
The goal is to begin treatment as soon as possible, to include hearing aids, speech and language therapy, family counseling and early education.
Unfortunately, infants with even severe and profound hearing loss typically have not been identified until about 24 months of age.
The push for the early identification of these babies received a boost in 1999 with passage of the Newborn Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of1999. This federal legislation provides financial support for states to develop programs to screen for hearing loss in newborns before they leave the hospital. Nearly $3 million has been allocated in each of the next three years.
As recently as 1993, only two states (Rhode Island and Hawaii) had statewide hearing screening programs. Today, 27 states have adopted legislation to support universal newborn hearing screening programs, and another 8 states are developing legislation.
Testing for hearing loss in infants
Advances in computer technology have stimulated the increased interest in newborn hearing screening. The computer-based tests, which have made the hearing screening both possible and cost-effective, measure the baby’s inner ear or auditory nerve response to sound. These procedures can be fully automated and don’t require the baby’s cooperation. In fact, the baby is most easily tested while asleep!
Follow-up care
Infants who don’t pass a follow-up screening should be immediately referred for complete audiologic assessment. The infant’s physician should be involved as early as possible. The family will need support and guidance as they learn about early intervention services, including medical and audiologic care, amplification, speech/language therapy and family counseling.
Today it is not unusual, although not yet typical, for infants with hearing loss to be identified before six months of age. Studies have already demonstrated that infants who receive treatment prior to six months of age have better speech and language skills than late-identified infants, and their parents experience significantly less stress than parents of late-identified children.