Earlier Is Better to Catch Hearing Loss in Children
When should your child's hearing be tested? Sooner than you think.
All states have laws or voluntary compliance programs requiring hearing tests in newborns.
These are often done before babies leave the hospital. Every year, about 2 or 3 out
of 1,000 babies are born with hearing problems in the U.S.
For years, routine hearing tests took place only when children entered school. But
hearing loss can cause serious problems much earlier. And hearing problems affect
language and speech development.
During the first 6 months, babies begin to recognize the spoken sounds that are critical
for developing language. Poor hearing can slow down that progress for both speaking
and reading.
Which child is at risk?
Think about having your child tested for hearing loss, especially if they have any
of these risk factors:
-
Born early (premature birth)
-
Spent more than 5 days in neonatal intensive care
-
History of severe yellowing of eyes and skin (jaundice) needing a blood transfusion
-
Mother or newborn infections
-
Meningitis or history of brain injury that needed a hospital stay
-
Family history of childhood hearing loss
-
Family history of certain hereditary or congenital syndromes, such as neurofibromatosis, Down
syndrome, osteopetrosis, and Usher syndrome
Even if your baby has no risk factors, you should be alert to hearing problems. You
may notice the following signs of hearing loss in your baby:
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Doesn't react to loud noises
-
After 6 months, doesn't turn toward sounds
-
By 12 months, doesn't say single words
-
Doesn't turn head when called by name
In your young child, you may notice delayed speech development or unclear speech.
Repeated ear infections, which are common in young children, can also delay language
development. A newborn can pass a hearing test and still have hearing problems later
in childhood. So even if your baby had normal hearing exams, be alert for the above
symptoms. If you notice them, contact your child's healthcare provider right away.
Hearing tests in babies
Your baby is likely to have 1 of these painless, quick, and sensitive tests:
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Auditory brainstem responses. Sound is introduced to the baby's ears through tiny earphones while the baby is sleeping.
Using sensors attached to the baby's head, the test records electrical activity made
by the auditory nerve and brainstem when it's stimulated by this sound.
-
Otoacoustic emissions. The normal ear makes faint acoustic signals. These are sometimes called inner-ear
echoes. People can't hear their own sounds from their inner ear. But tiny, sensitive
microphones placed in the ear canal during the screening can measure the echo responses.
Babies who do not have an echo response may have hearing loss.
Hearing tests in children
Your child's healthcare provider may check your child's hearing with a simple device
called a tuning fork. Or your child may have tests from a hearing specialist (audiologist).
Tests include the 2 discussed above and:
Other hearing evaluation tests may include :