How to Get a Newborn Hearing Screening

Approximately 8,000 to 16,000 infants a year are identified as having hearing loss. Many hospitals now automatically screen newborn babies for hearing loss. If your baby was born in a hospital that doesn't provide the screenings, or if your baby was born at home, seek out a hospital that offers the screening and arrange for your baby to be screened.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Check with your hospital to inquire about newborn hearing screening before the birth of your baby. Many hospitals today routinely screen newborn babies on the second day of life using one of two testing methods: otoacoustic emissions test (OAE) or auditory brain stem response test (ABR).
2. Seek out a local hospital that provides newborn hearing screenings if your child is born at home or at a hospital that does not provide the screening. This information can be obtained by calling the Labor and Delivery department of the hospital.
3. Obtain a follow up test within a month with a pediatric audiologist if your infant does not pass the newborn hearing screening. Follow up testing should be done before the infant is six months old to avoid the need for sedation during testing.
4. Contact your local early intervention office if your newborn is identified with hearing loss. Early intervention and strong parental involvement have been shown to dramatically decrease language delay when hearing-impaired newborns are identified at birth and given follow up care shortly after.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact the hospital if no results are given to the parents after a newborn hearing screening is done. Occasionally tests will be done and results are not discussed.