How Are Infants Tested For Hearing Ability?

There is a permanent hearing loss in about 12

,000 babies born each year in the United States. Some sort of hearing loss has become the most common defect occurring at birth according to the findings of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management with three out of every 1000 babies affected.

The type of hearing loss can be so diverse that in some cases it can be just a gentle feeling of hearing trouble to severe cases of being unable to hear anything. Wearing hearing aids and undergoing therapy of some sort is quite common in children with hearing loss.

Cochlear implants are advised in extreme cases. The biggest advantage of cochlear implants is that they act upon the auditory nerve when any damaged part of the ear fails to respond to amplified sound from hearing aids.

100 percent hearing is not yet possible even with these devices.

According to doctors the best option is to screen babies as early after birth as possible. Babies are known to develop their language skills better if these therapies are started within the first six months.

A new procedure is proving very helpful in detecting hearing loss in babies immediately after birth. The newly introduced procedures ensure that if hearing loss is ascertained in the first six months from birth the language development proceeds almost normally.

22 to 26 months is about the age at which hearing loss gets detected in children. Hearing problems get accidentally discovered when children start having problems with speaking or with their language development.

A new procedure allows all newborn babies to be screened for hearing problems before they leave hospital.

Otacoustic Emissions are now used to figure out how much a newborn baby is able to hear. A soft probe is inserted inside the ear canal and sounds are delivered through it.

A microphone which is placed in the same probe receives the echo which the inner produces. It takes just 10 seconds per ear compared to over 10 minutes required for any other procedure.

The Auditory Brainstem Response test is required to be administered to babies who fail the OAE. The ABR test measures the auditory nerve's responses to sounds delivered to the baby's ears by a disposable earphone, by three throwaway electrodes placed on the baby's head and shoulders.

Each ear takes no more than 15 minutes.

Doctors ensure that these tests are conducted when babies are asleep. Around the age of 2 years, speech problems or poor progress on the language development front raises suspicions about hearing problems.

Therefore, without leaving things to chance, it is best to screen all babies. Children will be able to develop their language skills better and also lead near normal lives forever.

Diagnostic testing by an audiologist is required for babies who fail both these tests. This happens in about two percent of the cases.

Two year old infants can also be given amplification equipment to tide over their hearing loss. If these children get help very early on in their lives, they have a good chance of leading a normal life.

by: John Chambers

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