Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE): Involves plocement of o
W hyls Ear l yC h i l d h o oH
d e a r i n Scr
g e e n in gsponge
eorphone in the eor conol to meosure whether the eor
con respond properly to sound. In normol-heoring children, o
ImportantforYourChild?
Everydoy in the United Stotes, opproximotely 1 in 1,000
newborns (or 33 bobies every doy) is born profoundly deof
with onother two to three out of 1,000 bobies born with portiol heoring loss, moking heoring loss the number one bifth
defect in Americo. Mony studies hove shown thot eorly diognosis of heoring loss is cruciol to the development of speech,
Ionguoge, cognitive, ond psychosociol obilities. Treotment is
most successfulif heoring loss is identified eorly, preferobly
within the flrst month of life. Sti[, one in every four children
born with serious heorinq loss does not receive o dioqnosis
until age three or older.
Whyls it lmportantto HaveMy Baby's
Hearing
Screened
Early?
The most importont time for o child to be exposed to
ond leorn longuoge is in the flrst three yeors of life. In foct,
children begin leorning speech ond longuoge in the first six
months of life. Reseorchsuggeststhot those who hove heoring impoirment ond get intervention hove better longuoge
skills thon those who don't. The eorlier you know obout
deofness or heoring loss, the sooner you con moke sure your
child beneflts from strotegies thot will help him or her leorn
to communicate.
meosuroble "echo" should be produced when sound is emitted through the eorphone. If no echo is meosured, it could
indicote o heoring loss.
Auditory Broin Stem Response(ABR): Eorphones ore placed
on the eors ond electrodes ore ploced on the heod ond eors.
Sound is emitted through the eorphones while the electrodes
meosure how your child's broin responds to the sound.
L o ssin Ch ild r en
Sig n so f He a r in g
Heoring loss con olso occur loter in childhood, ofter o
newborn leoves the hospitol. In these coses,porents, grondporents, ond other coregivers ore often the flrst to notice thot
something moy be wrong with o young child's heoring. Even
if your child's heoring wos tested os o newborn, you should
continue to wotch for signs of heoring loss including:
. Not reocting in ony woy to unexpected loud noises
. Not being qwokened by loud noises
. Not turning his/her heqd in the direction of your voice
. Not being oble to follow or understand directions
.
.
Poor longuoge development
Speoking loudly or not using oge-oppropriote longuoge skills
If your child exhibits ony of these signs, report them to
your doctor.
HowEarlyShouldI HaveMy Baby's
Hearing WhatHappens
lf MyChildHasHearing
Loss?
Screened?
The first opportunity to test o child's heoring is in the hospitol shortly ofter birth. If your child's heoring is not screened
before leoving the hospitol, it is recommended thot screening be done within the first month of life. If heoring loss is
suspected,moke sure on otoloryngologist orders tests for your
boby's heoring by three months of oge. If heoring loss is confirmed, it's importont to consider the use of heoring devices
ond other communicotion options by six months of oge.
ls EarlyHearing
Screening
Mandatory?
ln 2003, more thqn 85 percent of oll newborns in the
United Stotes were screened for heoring loss. In foct, some 39
stotes hove possed legislotion requiring some form of heoring
screening of newborns before they leove the hospitol. This
still leoves more thon o million bobies who ore not screened
for heoring loss before leoving the hospitol.
HowlsScreening
Done?
Two tests ore used to icreen infonts ond newborns for heoring loss. They are:
Heoring loss in children con be temporory or permonent.
It is importont to hove heoring loss evoluoted by o physicion
who con rule out medicol problems thot moy be cousing the
heoring loss, such os otitis medio (eor infection), excessive
eorwox, congenitol molformotions, or o genetic heoring loss.
If it is determined that your child's heoring loss is permonent, heoring oids moy be recommended to omplify the
sound reoching your childt eor. Ear surgery moy be oble to
restore or significontly improve heoring in some instonces.
For those with certoin types of profound heoring loss who do
not benefit sufficiently from heoring oids, o cochleor implont
moy be considered. Unlike o heoring oid, o cochleor implant
byposses domoged ports of the ouditory system ond directly
stimulotes the heoring nerve ond ollows the child to heor
louder ond cleorer sound.
You will need to decide whether or not your deof child
will communicote primorily with orol speech ond/or sign
Ionguoge, ond seek eorly intervention to prevent longuoge
deloys. Reseorchindicotes thot hobilitotion ofheoring Ioss
by age six months will prevent subsequent longuoge deloys.
Other communicotion strotegies such os ouditory verbol
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@ 2006AmericanAcademyof Otolaryngology-Headand Neck Surgery
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