Newborn Hearing Screening
by Niki TimarKnowing that your baby has good hearing is important. Babies start to learn speech and language from the moment they are born. If babies can’t hear well, they may have problems learning to talk and developing their language skills. Newborn hearing tests are important for families because much can be done if hearing loss is caught early in a baby’s life.
About one in every 300 babies is born with a hearing loss in one or both ears. This number is higher for babies who require special care at birth. Without early screening, it is not easy to identify that a young baby has a hearing loss.
Even if no one in your family has a hearing loss, it is still important to have your baby’s hearing screened. Most babies born with a hearing loss are born into families with no history of hearing loss.
Newborn hearing screening has been offered to all newborns born in Victoria since 2002 through a local initiative. In the last year, more babies across Vancouver Island have had newborn screening, and by the end of 2008, all babies born on Vancouver Island and the rest of British Columbia will have access to newborn screening and intervention through a provincial government initiative called The B.C. Early Hearing Program (BCEHP).
While still in hospital, families are offered a hearing screening for their newborn. A BCEHP-trained hearing screener conducts the test. The test uses quick, simple and safe methods to check the hearing of all newborn babies.
If a baby is not screened in the hospital, screening will be arranged by your closest hearing screening site. One of two screening tests will be used:
1. Automated Otoacoustic Emission (AOAE) test, where a small, soft-tipped earpiece is placed in the outer part of the baby’s ear, and sounds are sent into the ear. When the ear receives the sound, the inner part, known as the cochlea, produces a response that can be measured by the machine’s microphone.
2. Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) test, where soft headphones specially made for babies are used. The headphones are put over the baby’s ears, and a series of clicking sounds are made. Small sensors are placed on the baby’s head, neck and shoulder.
In both tests, the hearing screening equipment shows how well the baby’s ears respond to sound. AOAE screening takes only a few minutes if a baby is quiet or asleep. Screening usually takes longer for the AABR test, about 30 minutes.
Some babies have clear responses on the first test. Many babies need to have a second hearing screening test because the first screening didn’t show a clear response from both ears. This does not necessarily mean that the baby has hearing loss.
Some common reasons, other than hearing loss, for having a second screening test are:
• The baby may have been unsettled at the time of screening.
• There may have been background noise when the screening test was carried out.
• The baby may have fluid or a temporary blockage in the ear after the birth. This is quite common and blockages usually clear on their own.
Most babies are found to have no hearing loss after the second screening test, but it is still very important that your baby has the second test, even if the baby seems to respond to sound. This is because babies who have hearing loss will usually still react to some sounds. If your baby does have hearing loss, it is important to find out as soon as possible.
Most babies will show clear responses at the second screening test or during the further tests carried out by an audiologist. About one in 20 babies, whose second screening test does not show clear responses, has a hearing loss in one or both ears.
A “pass” screening result means it is very unlikely that your baby has a hearing loss. However, children can develop or acquire a hearing loss later during childhood, so it is important to have your child’s hearing checked if you have any concerns.
No further routine hearing testing is recommended until children start school. All children in kindergarten on Vancouver Island are given hearing screening. For this test, the children listen for several tones or beeps in each ear, and if they do not respond to all of the sounds, follow-up testing at your local hearing clinic is recommended.
If you are wondering about your child’s hearing for any reason, at any age, please consult your family physician or public health nurse, or call your local Hearing Clinic (see below for the local Hearing Clinic contact information). Hearing tests are free of charge for children 19 years and under.
For more information about early hearing screening, visit the BCEHP website at
www.phsa.ca/earlyhearingFor more information about hearing and children, visit:
www.viha.ca/children/baby_and_you/babys_health/hearing.htmVancouver Island Health Authority Hearing Clinic contact information:
Victoria Health Unit Hearing Clinic
1947 Cook Street
Victoria BC V8T 3P7
388-2250
West Shore Health Unit Hearing Clinic
345 Wale Road
Victoria, BC V9B 6X2
478-1757
Central Island Audiology Clinic
1665 Grant Avenue
Nanaimo, BC V9S 5K7
755-6269
North Island Audiology Clinic
#104 – 501 Fourth Street
Courtenay BC V9N 1H3
338-6555
Niki Timar, M.Sc, is a senior audiologist with the Vancouver Island Health Authority, South Island.
