Bayley developmental performance at two years of age of neonates at risk for hearing loss

Of 306 infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) screened for hearing-loss before discharge with both the 'Crib-O-Gram' (COG) and brainstem auditory evoked responses (BAER), 122 failed either or both tests. These infants were then tested on the Bayley Scales at approximately 24 months corrected age, together with 25 infants who had passed both tests and 25 non-NICU infants from a general medical follow-up clinic. Compared with BAERs, the COG was found to be inadequate in detecting mild hearing loss, but its sensitivity increased with more severe loss. On the Bayley Scales, infants who had failed the BAER had lower scores than those who had passed, but for those who had passed the BAER, there was no difference in development between those who had failed and passed the COG.