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Updated: Aug 7, 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
[A combined neonatal hearing screening protocol]
A Almenar Latorre1, M C Tapia Toca, C Fernández Pérez
1Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, España. almenar@wanadoo.es
Insights
This neonatal hearing screening protocol effectively identifies hearing loss in newborns using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR). The study found a 2.6% prevalence of hearing loss, with no false negatives detected.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal audiology
- Otoacoustic emissions
- Auditory evoked potentials
Context:
- Early detection of hearing loss is crucial for infant development.
- Neonatal hearing screening protocols aim to identify infants at risk.
- Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) are common screening tools.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a combined OAE and ABR protocol for neonatal hearing screening.
- To determine the prevalence of hearing loss in a cohort of newborns.
- To assess the accuracy and reliability of the screening protocol through follow-up.
Summary:
- A protocol utilizing transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) was applied to 1,532 newborns.
- The screening identified 11 neonates (0.7%) requiring further otorhinolaryngology evaluation, with four diagnosed with auditory disjunction.
- Follow-up until 12 months confirmed no false negatives, establishing a hearing loss prevalence of 2.6%.
Impact:
- The OAE and ABR protocol demonstrates high utility in detecting neonatal hearing loss.
- This screening approach aids in timely diagnosis and intervention for affected infants.
- The findings support the integration of this protocol into routine neonatal care to improve auditory outcomes.
Objective:
To analyze a neonatal hearing screening protocol with transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR).
Patients And Methods:
We studied 1,532 newborns with a protocol using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response. We also evaluated auditory development until twelve months of age with quarterly questionnaires.
Results:
A total of 1,485 (97 %) newborns had normal OAE, 185 (12 %) were referred for ABR exploration and only 11 (0.7 %) were referred to the otorhinolaryngology service for auditory study and diagnosis. Four neonates had auditory disjunction. No false negatives were detected in the follow-up.
Conclusions:
This hearing screening protocol with OEA and ABR is useful for detecting hearing loss in neonates. The prevalence of hearing loss in this study was 2.6 % of live newborns.
