Pediatric Hearing Assessments

Newborn Hearing Screening

The House Children’s Hearing Center’s newborn hearing screening program can help parents identify newborns who are likely to have hearing loss. Secondarily, we help diagnose newborns with medical conditions that can cause late-onset hearing loss and establish a plan to continue monitoring their hearing. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) laws or voluntary compliance programs. EHDI guidelines include hearing screening completion by 1 month of age, diagnosis of any hearing loss by 3 months of age, hearing aid selection and fitting within 1 month of confirmation of hearing loss if the parents choose that option, and entry into early intervention services by 6 months of age.

Why is it important to have my baby’s hearing screened early?

Research shows that children with hearing loss who get help early develop better language skills than those who do not. The first 3 years of life are the most important time for a child to learn language, spoken or signed.

When will my baby’s hearing be screened?

Your baby’s hearing should be screened before they leave the hospital or birthing center. If not, contact the House Children’s Hearing Center immediately to ensure that your baby is tested during the first month of life. If your baby’s hearing was not tested within 1 month of birth, or if you haven’t been told the results of the hearing screening, ask your child’s doctor today.

How will my baby’s hearing be screened?

The Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) tests how the auditory nerve and brainstem (which carry sound from the ear to the brain) respond to sound. During this test, your baby wears small earphones and has electrodes painlessly placed on his or her head. The electrodes adhere and come off like stickers and should not cause discomfort. Your baby sleeps during this test.

What should I do if my baby’s hearing screening reveals potential hearing loss?

If the results show that your baby may have hearing loss, make an appointment with our pediatric audiologist. If possible, schedule a follow-up exam by the time your baby is 2 to 3 months old. The audiologist will conduct tests to determine whether your baby has a hearing problem, and, if so, the type and extent of that problem.

Our pediatric audiologist might recommend your child visits a pediatric neurotologist, a physician that specializes in conditions affecting the ear and brain. A pediatric neurotologist can determine possible causes of hearing loss and recommend intervention options.

Pediatric Hearing Testing & Diagnostics

Healthy hearing is critical to your child’s speech and language development, communication, learning, and social development. According to the CDC, 15% of all school-aged children have some type of hearing loss. Some of these children are born with a hearing problem, but healthy young children can develop hearing loss at any time as a result of:

Frequent ear infections
Infectious diseases like measles, chicken pox, meningitis, or the flu
Head injury
Exposure to loud noise or music

School-aged children with acquired hearing loss are often not diagnosed properly or early enough. Common signs your child may have a hearing problem include:

Your child frequently asks for things to be repeated
Your child talks in an unusually soft or loud voice
Your child complains of ear pain or is pulling on his ear
Your child confuses sounds that are alike or has problems with spelling and phonics

If you or a teacher suspects your child may have a hearing problem, the House Children’s Hearing Center can help. We provide hearing testing and diagnostics services to understand the nature of your child’s hearing loss and can help you create an individualized care plan to ensure the success of your child.

There are several different hearing tests that an audiologist can administer, based on your child’s age, development and health. These include:

Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test. Clicking sounds are transmitted through earphones, and electrodes measure the auditory system’s response. This test is usually done on infants and children who are uncooperative through behavioral testing.

Behavioral Testing. Headphones or speakers are used in a sound booth to measure the child’s ability to hear tonal and speech sounds. Depending on the child’s age and developmental abilities, behavioral testing can be completed using:

- - Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA). This technique is often used with toddlers who can turn to sounds. When the child turns in the direction of a sound, a visual image is presented to keep the child engaged in the task.
  - Conditional Play Audiometry (CPA). The technique is mainly used with preschool children in the form of a game. The child places an object into a container when a sound is heard.
  - Conventional Audiometry. This technique is used with older children who can raise their hand or press a button when they hear a sound.
Tympanometry. Soft sounds and air pressure are introduced in the ear canal to measure movement of the eardrum.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test. Pulse-type sounds are delivered through a probe in the ear canal, and the “echo” response from cells in the inner ear is recorded.
Middle ear muscle reflex (MEMR). A rubber tip is inserted in the ear canal, and a series of sounds that should trigger reflexes are delivered through the tips.