• All babies should have their hearing tested before they leave the hospital
• If a baby is born at home, a hearing test should be completed before he or she is 1 month old.

If a baby is found not to have passed hearing screening, child will be referred for a detailed diagnostic evaluation of hearing. If hearing loss is found an effective rehabilitation plan will be recommended and therapeutic services are initiated to help the baby to overcome difficulties in communication.

JCIH, joint commission of infant hearing recommends 1-3-6 rule which states that any newborn should be

• Screened before 1month,
• Diagnosed by Audiologist within 3months
• Start intervention by 6 months (Early intervention)

Newborn Hearing Screening Services

Hearing tests carried out in newborn hearing screening. NBS is not a single test, rather it is a combination of multiple tests, test battery. It involves both subjective and objectives measures.

• Behaviour observed audiometry: Involves presentation of selected pure tones, noises at various intensity and assess the resulting behaviour reflexive changes.
• Otoacoustic Emissions Test (OAEs) analyses cochlear health
• Auditory Brainstem Response Test (ABR)gives detailed information about functionality of complete inner ear and auditory nerve.

The need of hearing screening becomes more important when child or mother has any significant history during and soon after the pregnancy, i.e. Any High-Risk Register (HRR) such as Neonatal jaundice, premature delivery, malnutrition, history of miscarriages, high fever, infections, caesarean or assisted, late pregnancy etc. Results from all these tests are taken into consideration before arriving to conclusion. This test battery has been found to be more precise in screening-assessing hearing disorders in children.

Even if the child passes newborn hearing screening one should watch for possible signs of hearing impairment. This will help you to rule out the possibilities of late onset hearing loss (LOHL). Look for these signs as the child grows,

• Doesn't startle at loud noises by 1 month or turn toward sounds by 3-4 months of age.
• Doesn't notice your voice unless he sees you.
• Pays more attention to vibrating noises than other types of sounds.
• Doesn't seem to enjoy music.
• Is slow to begin talking, hard to understand or doesn't say single words such as "dada" or "mama" by 12 to 15 months of age.
• Doesn't respond consistently to distant name calls.
• Seems to hear some sounds but not others. (especially high frequency sounds like /sa/, /sha/)
• Balancing issues (as inner ear is also responsible for balancing, any defects in cochlea could affect balancing or vice versa).
• Enjoys TV/Radio only at higher volumes.

Time is the key to successful rehabilitation. Earlier the detection and intervention better arethe outcome. Thus, maximizing the potential of affected child to be included in mainstream society. Consult our audiologists for more information about screening and if you think your child has any difficulties.