Before a newborn is brought home from the hospital, the newborn must have a hearing screening. Most newborns are born with normal hearing, but one to three of every 1,000 babies born has some degree of hearing loss.
One to three of every 1,000 babies born has some degree of hearing loss.
A hearing screening is a pass or fail test that screens for normal hearing levels. If the newborn fails the test, the newborn will require further evaluation from an audiologist. Early detection of hearing loss in babies is very important to their learning, speech and language development. Studies report that babies who receive early intervention by six months old typically go on to develop good language and learning skills.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) testing is a helpful tool used in the newborn screening. It measures how the hearing nerve responds to sound. Clicks or tones are played through earphones on the baby’s ears while electrodes placed on the baby’s head measure the nerve’s response.
Our practice offers newborn screenings. Please contact our office at (818) 859-7730 to schedule an appointment if you are concerned about your newborn’s hearing.
