Importance of Screening Babies for Hearing Loss

Screening babies for hearing loss is important and should be done as early as possible because babies actually start learning how to use sound as early as upon birth. Undetected hearing loss in babies can lead to problems, such as social skills delays and speech and language development problems. When the child goes to school, academic achievement may be delayed as well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) says about 2 to 3 out of every 1, 000 children are born deaf or hard-of-hearing in the United States. This equates to about 12, 000 babies being born with hearing loss each year in US.

There are several causes of hearing problems in infants. In the CDC's A Cup of Health with CDC podcast, Marcus Gaffney, a health scientist with the CDC's National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities says, "The causes of hearing loss fall into a couple of major categories. The first are genetic causes and those can be problems that actually result in how the ear works, so it really doesn't function correctly." He added that various infections, such as meningitis and cyclomegalovirus can also cause hearing loss. "And then there's also a subset of hearing loss where the cause is actually unknown," said Gaffney.

Hearing loss can occur in early infancy and can go unnoticed for years. Hearing loss can be difficult to easily recognize, unlike many birth defects. Fortunately, the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) has been implemented to address this. "Universal" means every newborn gets screened.

Before the UNHS was implemented, the CDC says that the average age at which hearing loss is identified in children was 2 to 3 years old.

Many hospitals automatically screen babies soon after birth for hearing loss. However, some hospitals screen only those babies who are at high risk of developing hearing loss. Risk factors include family history of hearing loss or deafness, being born with low birth weight and having other certain medical conditions.

The NIDCD says that it is important for babies to get screened for hearing loss even if they do not have risk factors because many children with no known risk factors have hearing problems.

Getting your baby screened for hearing loss is truly important. Experts recommend that even if the baby passes the screening, it is still important to monitor the development of the child. Sometimes, hearing loss may not develop until later in life.

Sources:

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program (February 2010). Retrieved on March 31, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/.

A Cup of Health with CDC: Hear Ye, Hear Ye (February 2010). Retrieved March 31, 2010, from http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=774215#transcript.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Newborn Hearing Screening and Testing (September 2006). Retrieved March 31, 2010, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/ehdi/FAQ/questionscreening.htm#screened.

Has Your Baby's Hearing Been Screened? (May 2001). Retrieved on March 31, 2010, from http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/screened.asp.