The benefit of screening your new-born for hearing loss is the early detection leading to early treatment. The outcome of early treatment is appropriate speech, better social skills and mental development.

Suspicion of the child’s hearing ability by the parents or family and friends is the most common reason for seeking a hearing expert in Kenya. However, this is might lead to delays in treatment and poorer outcomes.

It is advised that all babies with hearing loss be identified by 3 months of age so that treatment can begin before the baby is 6 months old, an important time for speech and language development.

here are 2 different tests for hearing loss in newborns:

1- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) – For this test, the doctor will put 3 small devices called electrodes on your baby: on the forehead, back of the neck, and behind the ear. The electrodes connect to a machine that measures how your baby’s brain responds to a clicking sound
2- Otoacoustic emissions(OAE) – For this test, the doctor puts a small microphone into your baby’s ear. The microphone makes sounds (clicks or a tone). It also measures sound from the cochlea, the area inside the ear that allows you to hear

These tests are quick (5-15 minutes) and painless to perform

An initial non-pass may induce worry, distress and anxiety.

However, if one of the tests suggests hearing impairment, a second test will be performed. Your baby might further require formal diagnostic testing by an audiologist (hearing expert)

Yes, some new-borns are at higher risk of developing hearing loss:

1- Admission to a NICU (new born ICU)
2- Prematurity
3- Low birth weight
4- Other health problems
5- Family history of hearing impairment
6- Infections in the new-born (including meningitis)
7- Severe yellowness of the skin (jaundice)
8- Abnormally shaped ears (one or both)