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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
[Neonatal hearing screening]
A M Oudesluys-Murphy1, H L van Straaten, M H Ens-Dokkum
1Medisch Centrum Rijnmond-Zuid, afd. Kindergeneeskunde, Rotterdam. oudesluys@zuiderziekenhuis.nl
Insights
Early diagnosis of infant hearing loss is crucial for development. Neonatal hearing screening, using auditory brain stem response or oto-acoustic emissions, enables timely intervention for better outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Serious perceptive hearing loss affects 1-2 per 1000 newborns.
- Normal hearing is vital for infant language, social, and cognitive development.
- Early diagnosis significantly improves prognosis for hearing-impaired infants.
Discussion:
- Neonatal hearing screening programs are essential for early detection.
- Automated auditory brain stem response and oto-acoustic emissions are effective screening methods.
- Screening is the initial step in a comprehensive diagnostic and habilitative process.
Key Insights:
- Implementing neonatal hearing screening identifies hearing loss before 3 months.
- Intervention and counseling should commence before 6 months for optimal results.
- Early detection and management are critical for minimizing developmental impacts.
Outlook:
- Expand widespread adoption of neonatal hearing screening protocols.
- Integrate screening results into early intervention services.
- Further research into long-term outcomes and advanced diagnostic techniques.
Abstract:
Approximately 1 to 2 per thousand live-born infants suffer from a serious perceptive hearing loss. Normal hearing from birth is essential for optimal human development (language and speech, social and emotional development, communicative skills and learning). The earlier the hearing loss is diagnosed the better the prognosis for the infant with a hearing impairment. Suitable methods are now available for neonatal hearing screening: automated measurement of auditory brain stem response and measurement of oto-acoustic emissions. Screening must be viewed as only the first step in a program of diagnosis, treatment and habilitation of these children. The ultimate goal of the implementation of neonatal hearing screening is: identification of bilateral hearing losses before the age of 3 months and start of therapy and counselling before the age of 6 months.
