Why is it important for your child? Children’s quality of life and development vitally depend on hearing. Children learn to speak because they hear others and themselves communicate. Hearing helps your child learn to read, appreciate music, and receive warn­ings of approaching harm. Your child will have difficulty coping with many of life’s challenges and opportunities at home and in school without good hearing. When hearing loss is detected late, language development is already delayed. Children are more likely to be held back or drop out of school. These consequences are in sharp contrast to those for children whose hearing loss are identified early, preferably within the first month of life and receive early intervention. Still, children born with serious hearing loss does not receive a diagnosis until age three or older.

When Should a Child’s Hearing Be Tested?

The first opportunity to test a child’s hearing is in the hospital shortly after birth. If your child’s hearing is not screened before leaving the hospital, it is recommended that screening be done within the first month of life. Should test results indicate a possible hearing loss, seek further evaluation as soon as possible; preferably within the first three to six months of life. All children should have their hearing tested before they start school. This could reveal mild hearing losses that the parent or child cannot detect. Loss of hearing in one ear may also be determined in this way. Such a loss, although not obvious, may affect speech and language.

Risk Criteria for Hearing Loss

Mother had German measles or drank alcoholic beverages. Family has one or more individuals with permanent or progressive hearing loss that was present or developed early in life. Newborn weighed less than 3.5 pounds at birth, has an unusual appearance of the face or ears, was jaundiced (yellow skin) at birth and almost had or did have an exchange blood transfusion, was in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for more than two days or had a serious injury with a fracture of the skull with or without bleeding from the ear.