Infant Hearing Screening
Are you sure your baby can hear?
Hearing testing is available for your baby.
Why test my baby's hearing?
- 2-3 infants per 1,000 births are born with a hearing loss
- Undetected hearing loss can have significant effects on speech, language, cognition, social and emotional development.
If you are concerned about your child's speech and language development or his/her hearing, click here to check your child's progress compared to their peers
- Early detection is vital...Current research suggests that the earlier a hearing loss is detected and appropriate intervention begins the better the outcomes are for the child.
The Hear and Say Centre advocates the screening of newborn infants hearing (0-6 months) so that the parents have the option of commencing an early intervention program as soon as possible, if their baby is found to be hearing impaired.
A recent State Government decision has resulted in newborn infant hearing screening now being available in all Queensland hospitals through the Healthy Hearing Program. This wonderful initiative, for which Hear and Say Centre was a strong advocate, has reduced the need for our infant screening program. However, the service is still available for those babies who, for various reasons, were not tested via the hospital system.
Parent Experiences
"The Hear and Say Centre Infant Hearing Screening program was a godsend for us. Not only did they understand that "Babies Must Not Wait", but equally that parents can't wait. As our first child is profoundly deaf, we were very anxious to know about our second, Charlie, as soon as he was born. We knew the importance of the early diagnosis of hearing loss to a child's future – so we took Charlie to the Hear and Say Centre for testing on the way home from hospital. It was a simple, quick process to get such an important result."
- Charlie was found to have normal hearing
"My pregnancy was a very anxious time for my husband and myself as we knew the probability of our baby being born deaf was high. With our first child, we didn't find out that he was profoundly deaf until he was 8 and 1⁄2 months old. A lot of valuable 'learning' time was lost. We knew it was imperative to have Claudia's hearing tested immediately, so that if she did have a hearing loss, she would be able to receive technological intervention (hearing aids and/or a cochlear implant), together with Auditory-Verbal Therapy to maximise her speech and language development."
- Claudia was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss. She is currently fitted with hearing aids, is receiving Auditory Verbal Therapy, and is being evaluated for a cochlear implant.
When should my baby have a hearing test?
Very soon after birth and preferably within the first three weeks.
How is my baby's hearing screened?
- An automatic test, which measures a response from your baby's hearing nerves, is obtained whilst your baby is asleep.
- This test is accurate, reliable and takes only a few minutes.
- You will have results immediately after the test is complete.
- The test is safe, painless and non-invasive.
- Small stick-on jelly tabs are applied to your baby's forehead and each ear (this is not uncomfortable for your baby). A headphone will be placed over each ear and testing will begin.
As most babies sleep after they have been fed, you can help by timing your babies feed to take place once you have arrived at the Centre. This will help your baby settle and make testing easier.
How accurate is the hearing screening test?
Clinical trials have found that the screening test has a sensitivity of 100%. This means of all the babies who passed screening in clinical trails, none were later found to have a congenital hearing loss (ie present at birth).
Who performs the hearing test?
The hearing screening program is overseen by paediatric audiologists*. Fully trained volunteers may perform some of the tests.
* A paediatric audiologist is a university trained hearing scientist who specialises in working with children.
How do I make an appointment?
Telephone the Hear and Say Centre on (07) 3870 2221 during business hours to make an appointment.