A newborn hearing screening helps to detect any hearing loss your child may have.
When your baby is born, you want to make sure that they are completely healthy. One element of this is making sure they weren’t born with any hearing loss. This may sound like something unlikely, but it is actually more common than you think for newborns to have some sort of hearing loss. The earlier you know, the better chance you have a treating it. Here is what you need to know about a newborn hearing screening.
The Importance
Two or three out of every 1,000 children in the U.S will be born with some sort of detectable hearing loss. Babies and young children learn from hearing and interpreting sounds, so hearing loss can impact their language and speech development. A newborn hearing screening helps to detect hearing loss early and get them help, which leads to them having a better development of language skills than the children that have undetected hearing loss.
Types of Hearing Screenings
There are two types of newborn hearing screenings
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE): This test involves a soft earphone being put into your baby’s ear. It plays sounds and doctors look for an “echo” response that ears have when you can hear normally. If the ear doesn’t respond to the sounds, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
- Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR): This test uses earphones as well but they also put electrodes on the baby’s head. It tests the auditory nerve and brainstem to see how they respond to sound.
What if Your Child Has Hearing Loss?
If the newborn hearing screening shows a potential problem, you want to consult with an audiologist. This should be done before your baby turns 3 months. The audiologist can confirm if there is hearing loss and determine the severity of it. They will likely start treatment before your baby turns 6 months old. If the baby has siblings, it’s probably best to test their hearing as well.
Contact Bay Area Audiology Today for Your Newborn Hearing Screening
Ready to do something about your hearing loss? Our Doctor of Audiology, Dr. Trisha A. Bents Muth, is exceptionally experienced in the art of audiology, and provides the absolute best solutions. Bay Area Audiology has been working to give patients a comfortable environment, with thorough evaluations. We are independently owned, and unbiased when it comes to finding you the care you need.
You can always come into the office, or contact us in advance to set up an appointment. We also provide updates on our social media websites. You can check out our Facebook,Twitter,
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Don’t hesitate–we can help.