Hearing Screening for Infants

All Newborns Can Be Screened

In Ohio, three out of every thousand babies born will have a hearing loss.  That is why babies born in Ohio's hospitals and birthing centers receive screenings for hearing loss before going home.  These hearing screenings are performed in the nursery or in the mother's room while the baby sleeps.  The materials used are safe, quick and painless.

If your baby does not pass the hearing screening, more testing is needed.  There are several reasons why a baby may not pass the hearing screening.  These include birth debris in the ear canal, fluid in the middle ear, too much movement during the screening or a hearing loss.

It is important to find out why your baby did not pass the hearing screening.  An appointment should be scheduled with a pediatric audiologist right away.  A pediatric audiologist is a hearing specialist who has been trained to work with babies and young children.  The Pediatric Audiology Services Directory can help you find an audiologist near your home.

If further testing shows the baby has a hearing loss, talk to your doctor about your baby's speech and hearing development.

Ohio's Regional Infant Hearing Program, which is part of Help Me Grow, offers families of children with hearing loss support and can help your baby learn to communicate by providing specialized services.  These services are provided at no cost and include language and auditory stimulation, family support and educational resources.  Many children with hearing loss who are identified early and who receive the support they need develop the same language skills as hearing children.

A brochure written for parents explains Ohio's newborn hearing screening program.  Information about speech and language development for babies between birth and three years of age is also included in the brochure.

If you have questions or want more information about Ohio's Regional Infant Hearing Program, please contact our staff using the information listed below.

Telephone: (614) 644-8389 or 800-755-GROW (4769)

Mailing Address:
Ohio Department of Health
Bureau of Early Intervention Services
Infant Hearing Program
246 North High Street, 5th Floor 
Columbus, OH 43215

E-mail: BEIS@odh.ohio.gov

This page last updated on 4/15/09. 

                                                     ODH Programs / Links