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Children's Hearing & Speech

Newborn Hearing

Each year, approximately 6 in 1,000 babies are born with a hearing loss. Babies who cannot hear will have problems learning to talk. That is why all birthing hospitals in Michigan test babies' hearing before they leave the hospital. More than half the babies born with hearing problems have no family history of hearing loss. It is important to identify hearing problems as early as possible so that your baby has the best chance to develop normally.

There are two types of newborn hearing screening tests. Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) are measured with a tiny microphone and sent to a specially designed computer to determine your baby's hearing. Auditory Brainstem Response Testing (ABR) measures the baby's ability to hear soft sounds through tiny earphones. Your infant's brainwaves are measured to determine if sounds are heard normally. These tests are safe and fast. Most infants sleep during testing.

Not all babies pass an initial hearing screening and sometimes a baby is too active to test. Once in a while, a baby may even be discharged from the hospital before a hearing screening can be completed. When this happens, a follow-up hearing screening is recommended. It is important that you follow through with the recommendations of the hearing screening. Early identification is the goal of universal newborn hearing screening programs. Even a mild hearing loss can result in a language delay.

If you have a family history of hearing loss your baby should be tested every year. Ear infections can also cause hearing loss. The hearing screening testing can ususally confirm normal hearing at the time of testing. It is possible however for hearing loss to develop later for a variety of reasons. Consult your audiologist or physician if you ever have concerns about your child's speech, language or hearing.

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Speech, Language and Hearing Milestones
(times are approximate)

• Startles at loud sounds
• Quiets to familiar voice
• Makes vowel sounds like "ohh", "ahh"

• Starts to babble
• Looks for sounds with eyes
• Uses several voice sounds, such as squeals, whimpers and chuckles

• Turns head toward sound
• Begins to imitate speech sounds
• Babbles ("ba-ba", "ma-ma", "ga-ga")

• Understands "no-no", "bye-bye"
• Turns head toward soft sounds
• Imitates speech sounds of others

• Locates sounds on all levels
• Correctly uses "ma-ma", "da-da"
• Gives toy when asked for

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