While There Is Still Time Get Your Baby A Hearing Test

Though newborn Sean, 8 pounds and 6 ounces, was not awake to realize it, his hearing was being tested 36 hours after he was brought into this world. He was taken by an audiologist to a testing station with a personal computer that looked perfectly ordinary except that it had some wires attached to it. She held onto a little plastic probing tool on the end of one cable and lightly set it into Sean's right ear, then keyed some information into the computer. A complicated, multicolored display became visible on the screen.

The procedure that Sean was so oblivious to was one that can detect hearing loss at a very early age and help hearing impaired children and their parents learn to face the challenges ahead. In this nation there are 4000 babies born annually who are profoundly deaf, as well as 24,000 babies born with some type of hearing loss. By taking advantage of this procedure known as the otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test, pediatricians and families can find out within hours of birth if an infant has any type of hearing issue, which allows for a better chance of finding a way to deal with the issue and possibly correct it.

Without a hearing test, a child may be two or three years old before a hearing problem is discovered. There can be dramatic consequences if you wait too late. There are delays in speech and language development. A child might not be able to correctly pronounce words until a later age, and they may be much less aware of the environment in which they live. Research shows us that the first two years of life are essential for building the skills necessary to develop intellectually and emotionally. Children who don't hear well have been wrongly thought to be mentally deficient.

OAE testing begin in 1990, but before this, it could be expensive and complicated to test each newborn baby. The auditory brain stem response had been an extremely precise testing method according to an audiologist. Electrodes are placed on the infant and the response along the auditory nerve as it traveled towards the brain can be measured. However, this complex 30-minute evaluation is priced at $90.00 (minimum charge), necessitating the conduct of a professionally licensed doctor or audiologist. There aren't enough audiologists or physicians in the country to conduct this test on every newborn.

OAE testing is less expensive and can be administered by a wider range of doctors. It is a simplistic 5-minute process that gauges hearing by assessing the cochlea's minuscule hair cell vibrations as they are subjected to sound. There are two parts to the wand placed in the ear - a transmitter that produces the sound and a microphone that measures the vibrations of the hair cells. After the test was administered on one side the audiologist shifted the baby to his other side to repeat the procedure, looking pleased with the results she was seeing. The newborn baby had almost perfect hearing.

Additional testing is needed if the baby fails the first OAE test, occurring about a week later. The reason is that during birth some fluid can be pushed into the ear canal, which can make the baby's tests come out poorly. An auditory brain stem response test is used in the event that a baby does not pass the second hearing test, this helps to target the problem area. Then a corrective plan of action can be determined.

If the hearing loss is minor, hearing aids can be provided at three months of age. Occasionally, this is all that is necessary to correct their hearing issues. After 18 months, a child can undergo cochlear implant surgery, which can often be a permanent solution for compromised hearing.

Parents of children who test with a profound loss of hearing receive early training on spending time with their baby, using various visual cues and other methods to help baby learn. If such an infant receives this intensive focus from the parents, he will be more likely to develop intellectual and emotional skills at the normal rate. There are many different approaches and options available for parents that need to learn how to deal with their child's hearing loss such as American Sign Language (ASL) as well as learning how to lip read.

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