Hearing Testing and Children

It might seem odd to think about hearing tests for children when hearing loss is so strongly connected to aging. You might be surprised to learn that even infants and children can experience hearing loss, and it’s more common than you’d think: two or three out of every 1,000 children are born with hearing loss.

The best way to deal with hearing loss at birth or during early childhood is early detection, and that’s where audiologists can help. Because it’s important to detect and treat hearing loss as soon as possible to avoid speech and learning delays in children, many states have programs that require newborn infants be tested for hearing loss.

Newborns are tested by pediatric audiologists, right in the hospital.

Since infants can’t respond to sound stimulation like an older child or adult, audiologists use special types of tests to evaluate an infant’s hearing ability. The two main tests are Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions (EOAE) and Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR).

During an EOAE exam, tiny, flexible tubes inserted into the infant’s ear measure the ears’ automatic response to sound stimulation. This test can even be done while the baby is sleeping. ABR tests involve attaching tiny wires to the infant’s head to measure brainwave response to sound stimulation. Both take only a few minutes and quickly reveal whether the infant needs further testing.

Infants and toddlers are tested at milestones. 

Even if a newborn doesn’t show signs of hearing loss right away, some conditions take time to show up. Audiologists will monitor your child’s hearing at each growth milestone to make sure their ears and hearing remain healthy. Because older infants and children are more capable of interaction and response to sound stimulation, audiologists use behavioral audiometry, play audiometry and visual reinforcement in addition to the previous tests.

At no age is a child too young to have their hearing tested!

Audiologists advise testing newborns no later than three months old so that, if they have a hearing condition, treatments can begin by the time they’re six months old. The longer an infant or child goes without healthy hearing, the more it hinders them from interacting with their world and developing speech skills. 

Because audiologists cater their tests to the response abilities of each stage of development, no child is too young to have a hearing test. Make sure your children are receiving regular checkups at each milestone to monitor this important aspect of their health from infancy to adulthood.