Hearing Screening

A newborn can appear alert, feed well, and startle to a loud sound while still having clinically significant hearing loss. Behavioural observations are not sensitive or consistent enough to replace objective screening. Universal newborn hearing screening is the expected pathway for all newborns, including those who are well and those admitted to intensive care. Screening should occur before hospital discharge or within the first few days of life. The purpose is not simply to label an infant; it is to identify a possible problem early enough to protect access to language. Otoacoustic emission (OAE) testing uses a small probe in the ear canal. The probe presents sound, and a microphone measures the faint response generated by functioning outer hair cells in the cochlea. A pass suggests that the tested cochlear mechanism responded under the conditions of the screen. It does not assess every part of the auditory pathway. Automated auditory brainstem response (AABR) presents sound through earphones and detects electrical responses travelling through the auditory nerve and brainstem. It therefore adds neural-pathway information that OAE alone cannot provide. Auditory neuropathy...