Newborn Hearing Screening Program

Hearing impairment is relatively uncommon in newborns. Approximately three out of every 1,000 babies are born each year with a hearing loss. If not detected early, the effects of congenital hearing loss can be great. Hearing loss affects speech and social development, emotional well-being, and learning.

All newborns at Munson Medical Center receive a hearing screening. The majority of infants are screened using a test called otoacoustic emissions (OAE). OAEs are quiet echoes emitted from a healthy inner ear when a sound is presented to the ear. The test involves inserting a small rubber probe tip into the infant’s ear. A computer-driven system stimulates the cochlea in the inner ear with a frequency sweep. This test rules out moderate to severe or profound cochlear hearing loss.

Infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) also receive a hearing screening known as Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR). This test evaluates how sound travels along the hearing nerve. Electrodes are placed on the forehead and behind each earlobe. A small rubber probe tip is inserted into the infant’s ear and a clicking sound is presented.

With any type of hearing screening, the infant must be quiet and fairly still during the test. Additionally, infants with abnormally functioning middle ears, such as middle ear fluid, will not pass the screening.

If the infant doesn’t pass the initial screening, he or she should be re-screened before one month of age. If the infant doesn’t pass the second screening, further testing should be performed as soon as possible.

If you are a Munson Healthcare patient and have a compliment, concern, or complaint, please contact one of our Patient Liaisons.

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