Hearing Tests for Newborn Babies

Hearing tests for newborn babies are very important because the ability to hear is the foundation of a baby’s ability to learn. Experts recommend hearing tests to screen hearing loss within 48 hours or at least before leaving the hospital. It is significant to find that in the United States of America every 2 to 3 babies out of 1000 are born with hearing loss, with appropriate diagnosis and intervention helping to overcome delays in speech, language, social and academic skills.

Know about the screening tests:

Hearing screening tests for newborns are of 2 types namely, automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) and otoacoustic emissions (OAE); each takes about 5 to 10 minutes with most babies sleeping through them.

The AABR test involves the nurse placing sensors attached to a computer on the baby’s scalp that measures the brainwave activity to little clicking sounds transmitted through small earphones. The OAE test involves placing a little device that makes soft clicking sounds in the baby’s ear, with a computer attached to the device recording the ear’s response to sounds.

Some hospitals do the AABR and OAE simultaneously, while others first do the OAE test followed by the AABR in case of not testing well.

If my baby doesn’t pass the tests: 

If your baby doesn’t pass the screening test it necessarily does not mean that he/she has a hearing problem; it only indicates more testing is to be done preferably within the first month of life.

Sometimes babies may fail at the 1st screening due to fluid in the middle ear, debris in the ear canal, the room being noisy or the baby moving or crying. If the baby has hearing loss, he/she will be referred to an audiologist to conduct further tests to determine how significant it is and what can be done to help him/her.  

Is there no hearing loss if the baby passes the hearing test? 

The newborn passing the hearing screening tests does not necessarily mean he/she has no hearing impairment as these tests do not detect mild degrees of permanent hearing loss and the baby could have mild degrees of hearing loss or may develop hearing loss in future. There could be delayed onset of hearing loss due to injury, genetics, illness, or exposure to loud and prolonged levels of noise.

Regular checking of the hearing in well-baby checkup is advisable; you could consult an audiologist for further tests in case you are concerned.  

Can I tell my baby can’t hear?

You may or may not be able to say that your baby has a hearing problem because there could be various degrees of hearing loss. You cannot presume that your baby has good hearing if he/she turns towards you when you talk or enter the room as your baby may to hear some sounds, but miss something else. This would affect his/her ability to speak, develop socially and intellectually.

As a conclusive note, there is no excuse to not testing your baby’s hearing at birth because undetected deafness as we have seen affects many crucial stages of early development in a baby.

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