How Long Does A Newborn Hearing Test Take

What Happens If My Baby Doesnt Pass The Test

The hearing specialist will conduct tests to determine whether your baby has a hearing problem and, if so, the type and severity of that problem.

• If any newborn kid doesnt pass in screening test at birth then it doesnt mean that he has a hearing problem, but it means that more tests are required.
• Kids sometimes fail the first test because they have liquid in the middle ear in the ear canal, or because the place is too noisy or theyre too feisty during the test. Many kids who fail the first test go on to pass follow-up testing.

Follow up testing

Between 2 to 10 percent of all babies across the United States do not pass their first hearing screen.

However, Many newborn babies are not able to pass the hearing screening due to vernix in the ear canal, fluid in the middle ear, or because of movement or crying during the test.

Since few babies have a hearing loss, it becomes very important that you go through all the procedures by fixing an appointment to confirm test results.

Make sure you have completed all the tests before your baby is 3 months old.

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How To Test Newborn Hearing At Home

Even if your baby passed their newborn hearing screening, keep an eye on them as they grow and change for evidence that theyre hearing well.

Check to discover if your babys hearing development is on track with these guidelines. Just remember that every baby is different and reaches milestones at various ages.

• When spoken to, he or she smiles or relaxes.
• When loud noises are heard, it reacts.
• Produces gentle tones

• Responds to their own name or another sound
• Simple requests, such as come here, are met with a positive response
• Looks at what youre saying
• Sounds are followed by a look or a turn in the direction of the sounds
• When someone speaks to him, he listens

Parent Options During Screening

States give parents options during NBS. Examples of choices that differ by state include the following:

• Whether and how to refuse NBSAll states require NBS, but most states let parents refuse screening for their baby. Accepted reasons for refusal depend on the laws in a state. For example, some states only let parents refuse NBS for religious reasons. Other states let parents refuse for any reason. A couple of states do not allow parents to refuse NBS at all.
• What happens with your newborns blood spots after NBSSome states give parents choices about what happens to their babys dried blood spots after screening is complete. For example, some states let parents choose whether the blood sample is stored, destroyed, or used for research studies.

You can find out about parent options in your state by contacting your states newborn screening program. Contact information for programs in each state is available on the State pages.

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When Will My Babys Hearing Be Screened

Your babys hearing should be screened before he or she leaves the hospital or birthing center. If not, make sure the baby is tested during the first month of life. If your babys hearing was not tested within 1 month of birth, or if you havent been told the results of the hearing screening, ask your childs doctor today. Quick action will be important if the screening shows potential hearing loss.

What Should I Do If My Babys Hearing Screening Reveals Potential Hearing Loss

If the results show that your baby may have hearing loss, make an appointment with a pediatric audiologista hearing expert who specializes in the assessment and management of children with hearing loss. This follow-up exam should be done as soon as possible, ideally by the time the baby is 2 to 3 months old. The audiologist will conduct tests to determine whether your baby has a hearing problem and, if so, the type and extent of that problem.

If you need help finding a pediatric audiologist, ask your pediatrician or the hospital staff who conducted your babys screening. They may even be able to help you schedule an appointment. You can also try the directories provided by the American Academy of Audiology or the American SpeechLanguageHearing Association. If the follow-up examination confirms that your baby has hearing loss, he or she should begin receiving intervention services as soon as possible, ideally by the age of 3 to 6 months. See our Babys hearing screening and next steps: Timeline for parents for a guide to follow.

The pediatric audiologist may recommend that your baby visit a pediatric ear, nose, and throat physician who specializes in conditions affecting the ear, known as a pediatric otologist. A pediatric otologist can determine possible causes of hearing loss and recommend intervention options. If your child has siblings, the audiologist or otologist may also recommend that their hearing be tested.

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Understanding Hearing Test Results

Once all your testing is complete, your audiologist will have a clear picture of your hearing health. They will discuss your results with you and make any recommendations for further management if needed. If you have a normal hearing you may be advised to have a review assessment in two years for ongoing monitoring or if you do have a permanent loss, hearing aids might be advised.

Similarly, if your results indicate your middle ear isnt working as well as it should be or other pathologies are suspected, you may be recommended to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist to determine how you can be helped.

A report of your results is written to your GP so you can discuss any medical questions with them if required. You will also receive a copy of your audiogram charts that display the results of your tests. They can be a bit tricky to understand, so weve written a guide to help you decipher the outcome of your assessment.

For more information about free hearing assessments, diagnostic hearing tests, pure tone testing and hearing aids, or to schedule an appointment with a local Attune Hearing clinic, book online or give us a call.

Why Is It Important To Have My Babys Hearing Screened Early

The most important time for a child to learn language is in the first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing. In fact, children with typical hearing begin learning speech and language in the first 6 months of life. This is why it is so important to screen and start interventions for hearing loss as early as possible. Research shows that children with hearing loss who get help early develop better language skills than those who dont.

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The Newborn Screening Test

Just like how there may be no signs that your baby has a heart defect, there may also be no signs or symptoms after birth if they have a genetic disorder.

Think your baby looks perfectly healthy? Well, they may not be.

Thats where the Newborn Screening test comes in.

The Newborn Screening test is a blood test that can discover if your baby has a genetic, metabolic, hormone-related, or blood-related disorder that may not be apparent at birth. This test is also known as a PKU test, a newborn genetic test, or a blood spot screening.

Just like all of the other tests that newborns have done before they go home from the hospital, the purpose of the Newborn Screening test is to identify harmful disorders that wouldve otherwise gone unnoticed because babies do not show signs or symptoms of them until theyre older.

Early detection will lead to earlier treatment, which in turn will lead to a better outcome, and may even save your babys life.

The Newborn Screening test is done sometime between 12-48 hours after your baby is born. Either your babys nurse or a lab technician will collect some of your babys blood. This most likely will be done in your hospital room, but if your baby is taken to a nursery for the blood draw you can always request to go with them.

Your babys blood will not be collected through their veins. It will be collected through a prick on the side of their heel.

An example of a California Newborn Screen Paper with the circles where blood is collected.

Hearing Tests For A Newborn Baby

There are 2 main types of hearing screening methods for newborns. These may be used alone or together:

• Evoked otoacoustic emissions . A test that uses a tiny, flexible plug that is put into the babys ear. Sounds are sent through the plug. A microphone in the plug records the otoacoustic responses of the normal ear in reaction to the sounds. There are no emissions in a baby with hearing loss. This test is painless and it often takes just a few minutes. It is done while the baby sleeps.

• Auditory brainstem response . A test that uses wires attached with adhesive to the babys scalp. While the baby sleeps, clicking sounds are made through tiny earphones in the babys ears. The test measures the brains activity in response to the sounds. As in EOAE, this test is painless and takes only a few minutes.

If the screening tests finds that your child has a hearing loss, more testing is needed. Babies with hearing loss should be identified by age 3 months. Then treatment can begin before the baby is 6 months old, an important time for speech and language development.

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What If My Newborn Does Not Pass The Hearing Screening

If your baby does not pass the newborn hearing screening, a follow-up screening or hearing test will be needed in the days or weeks after leaving the birthing hospital. This is a crucial step in determining whether your baby has hearing loss. Some newborns who need a follow-up hearing screening or a hearing test have normal hearingBUT some have hearing loss.

If your newborn does not pass the hearing screening, it is important to make an appointment with an audiologist for a complete infant hearing test.

How The Newborn Hearing Screening Is Performed

The hearing screening is performed using an Automated Auditory Brainstem Response device.

The screening is quick, easy, painless and reliable. It usually takes only a few minutes. It must be done while your baby is asleep or in a very quiet, relaxed state.

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What If My Newborn Passes The Hearing Screening

Most newborns who pass the hearing screening have normal hearing. However, some newborns might hear well enough to pass a screening, even though their hearing is not perfectly normal. It is a screening and not a diagnostic test, and so the newborn hearing screening cannot properly identify 100 percent of babies with hearing loss.

Additionally, some newborns may pass the screening at birth, yet they can lose hearing from illness, medications, or genetic reasons. This hearing loss can come on suddenly or gradually over time.

Because of these factors, it is important that, even if your newborn passes the screening, you contact your childs pediatrician and get a referral to an audiologist for hearing testing if you have any concerns for your childs hearing.

How Long Does A Hearing Screening Take

There are two tests that are used to examine babys hearing an otoacoustic emissions test and automated auditory brainstem response test. Both tests are painless and performed at the hospital while your baby is resting or asleep. Hospitals may use one or both types of equipment for testing.

• An OAE test uses a miniature earphone placed in each ear that produces soft sounds. These sounds generate an echo that is measured by a microphone inside the earphone. This test typically takes between five to ten minutes to complete.
• An AABR test uses small earphones or earmuffs to produce soft sounds into each ear. Band aid-like electrodes are attached to your babys skin that detect how sounds are carried to and from the brain. Average testing time for this type of test takes between 10 to 20 minutes to complete.

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If Your Baby Spent More Than 48 Hours In Intensive Care

Babies who spent more than than 48 hours in intensive care will have both types of hearing screening tests – AOAE and AABR.

This is because these babies are more likely to have hearing loss than babies who did not spend time in intensive care.

The screening test will usually be done before your baby leaves hospital. If this is not possible, we will contact you to let you know when and where it could be done.

When Does Newborn Screening Happen

The timing of newborn screening is very important. Babies need screening during the first few days of life, because some of the conditions found by screening require treatment or intervention right away.

NBS happens after birth, usually when your baby is between 24 and 48 hours old. If a baby is tested before 24 hours, they may need to be retested.

Some babies who have had treatments such as transfusions or dialysis may be tested later or may need further testing after their blood has returned to normal. In addition, babies who are born too early, or who receive nutrients or medicines before screening, may need further testing.

There are two models that states use to screen all newborns: the one-screen model or the two-screen model.

To learn more about the differences in NBS across different states, visit the State pages.

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When Will We Get The Results

You’ll be given your baby’s hearing test results as soon as the test is done. If your baby has a clear response in both ears, they’re unlikely to have permanent hearing loss.

But the newborn hearing test does not pick up all types of permanent hearing loss. Children can also develop permanent hearing loss later on, so it’s important to check your child’s hearing as they grow up.

What Should I Know About The Newborn Hearing Screening

• Hearing screenings are fast, safe, and painless.
• Sometimes newborns are screened once or twice.
• Hearing screenings take about 10 minutes.
• Most babies sleep through the hearing screening. If your baby is noisy or restless during screening this can influence the results.
• You will receive the hearing screening results before you leave the hospital.

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Where Does Nbs Happen

All babies need NBS, regardless of where they are born.

If your baby is born at a hospital, screening will happen before you take your baby home. Usually, a health care provider performs NBS in your room or a newborn/nursery area.

If your baby has an out-of-hospital birth, screening can happen outside of the hospital like at your birth center or home. Many midwives are trained to complete NBS.

If you are planning an out-of-hospital birth, talk to your midwife about NBS before your baby is born. If your midwife cannot perform NBS, make other arrangements. Your babys health care provider can help arrange screening by another midwife, a hospital, clinic, or local health department. It is important that you make a plan so your baby completes screening near the recommended age.

How Is A Newborn Hearing Screen Test Done

The accuracy of newborn hearing tests is well-established and they may be given two different ways. The following tests are fast, pain-free and can be done while your infant is asleep or resting quietly.

Otoacoustic Emissions . This test uses a tiny probe thats inserted just at the entrance to your babys ear canal and emits a series of sounds. The test checks for echoes in your babys ears in response to the clicks or tones that are played. Babies whose ears do not have an echo could have hearing loss.

Automated Auditory Brainstem Response or Auditory Brainstem Response . During this test, your newborn wears tiny earphones that play sounds and, along with three electrodes placed on her scalp, theyll measure brain activity as she listens. A lack of brain activity could indicate a hearing problem.

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How Much Is A Newborn Hearing Test

The cost of an OAE test in a testing center is presently P300, whereas the cost of an ABR test varies between P800 and P2,000.

In some Philippine hospitals, the cost of hearing examinations may also vary from P500 to P1,500 or more, depending on where you will have it.

Philhealthâs Newborn Care Package which is worth P1,750 now includes the Newborn Hearing Screening Test. Particularly, the newborn hearing screening test according to the enhanced Philhealth NCP would cost P200.

If unqualified to avail of NCP, for some hospitals, newborn hearing tests might cost from P200 to P700.

Your Baby Probably Had A Hearing Screening

Almost all states, communities, and hospitals now screen newborns for hearing loss before the babies leave the hospital. The hearing screening is easy and painless, and it can determine if more testing is needed. In fact, many babies sleep through the hearing screening, and the test usually takes just a few minutes.

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Interpretation Of The Test Result

Hearing is measured in Decibels Hearing Level . For an OAE test, the range of 30 Db HL is considered the upper limit. If a newborn fares more than 30 Db HL, it is assumed that some hearing loss is present.

An AABR is a screening test and does not evaluate the degree of hearing loss in a child. It has a pass/fail approach where the computer sensor gives out one of the two results based on its calculations.