Criteria for hearing screening of new born babies

First three years of life are critical for a child to develop speech and language skill. For effective language and communication skill development child need to hear normally. If any hearing impairment is there it should be managed at the earliest.

With modern technologies like Brain-stem evoked response audiometry it is possible to identify hearing-loss within days of birth.

There are certain criteria which needs to pay attention and newborn should be subjected to hearing evaluation:–

1. Parental concern about hearing levels or speech delay in their child

2. Family history of hearing loss

3. History of in-utero (cytomegalovirus, rubella or syphilis) or post natal infections (meningitis)

4. Low birth weight babies

5. Hyper Bilirubinemia

6. Cranio facial deformities or certain syndromes

7. Head injury

8. Recurrent or Persistent otitis media with effusion

9. Exposure to ototoxic drugs