Newborn Hearing Screening

Universal screening catching deafness in the first days of life

Overview

Newborn hearing screening programs test infants shortly after birth so that permanent hearing loss can be identified early. Before universal screening, many deaf children were not identified until the toddler years, after much of the early period of language development had passed. Permanent hearing loss is present in roughly 1 to 3 of every 1,000 newborns, with higher rates among babies who have spent time in neonatal intensive care. Screening uses otoacoustic emissions or automated auditory brainstem response, both of which are objective, painless, and can be performed while the baby sleeps. Infants in intensive care are commonly screened with automated ABR because they are at higher risk of auditory neuropathy, which OAEs can miss. A refer result is common and often due to fluid or debris, and leads to diagnostic testing rather than meaning hearing loss is present. Many programs follow benchmarks for completing screening, diagnosis, and enrolment in early intervention within the first months of life, and early identification is associated with better language outcomes.