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Hearing Evaluation in Children

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In the first few years of life, hearing is a critical part of a child's social, emotional, and cognitive development. Even a mild or partial hearing loss can affect a child's ability to speak and understand language.

Hearing loss is a very common birth defect. Approximately 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 babies is born with some degree of hearing loss. There are a number of factors that can lead to hearing loss, and about half the time, no cause is found.

The good news is, hearing problems can be treated, if they're caught early - ideally by the time a baby is three-months old. So it's important to get your child's hearing screened early, and evaluated on a regular basis throughout life.

Causes of Hearing Loss
* was born prematurely
* stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit
* had high bilirubin requiring a transfusion
* was given medications that can lead to hearing loss
* has a family history of childhood hearing loss
* had complications at birth
* had frequent ear infections; had infections such as meningitis or cytomegalovirus
* exposed to very loud sounds or noises even of brief duration

When Should My Child's Hearing Be Evaluated?

Most children who are born with a hearing loss can be diagnosed through a hearing screening. But in some cases, the hearing loss is caused by things like infections, trauma, and damaging noise levels, and the problem doesn't emerge until later in childhood. So it's important to have your child's hearing evaluated on a regular basis as he or she grows.

Your newborn will likely have a hearing screening before being discharged from the hospital. (Most states require this.) If your baby doesn't have this screening, or was born at home or at a birthing center, it's important to have a hearing screening within the first three weeks of life.
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