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Not Passing Newborn Hearing Screening and Neurodevelopment at 2 Years in Infants Born Extremely Preterm
Katsuaki Kojima1, Carla M Bann2, Chelsea Blankenship3
1Division of Neonatology and Pulmonary Medicine, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH; Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.
The Journal of Pediatrics
|July 20, 2026
Summary
Not passing newborn hearing screening in extremely preterm infants is linked to slightly lower language and cognitive scores at two years. Early hearing follow-up and developmental monitoring are recommended.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal research
- Developmental pediatrics
- Audiology
Background:
- Newborn hearing screening is crucial for early detection of hearing loss.
- Extremely preterm infants are at higher risk for hearing impairment and developmental delays.
- Understanding the long-term neurodevelopmental impact of failing newborn hearing screening is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between failing newborn hearing screening and language, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes at 2 years corrected age in extremely preterm infants.
- To identify potential developmental risks associated with hearing screening failures in this vulnerable population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 4,891 infants born between 22-26 weeks' gestation or 401-1,000g.
- Utilized mixed-effects models to analyze screening results against Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (Bayley) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores.
- Adjusted for center, clinical, and sociodemographic covariates.
Main Results:
- 14% of infants did not pass newborn hearing screening.
- Infants who did not pass had modestly lower adjusted mean language (AMD: -2.6) and cognitive (AMD: -2.4) scores.
- Higher odds of mild-to-moderate language and cognitive impairments (scores <85) were observed, but not severe impairments (scores <70).
- No independent association was found with behavioral problems (CBCL scores).
Conclusions:
- Failing newborn hearing screening in extremely preterm infants is associated with mild-to-moderate language and cognitive deficits at two years corrected age.
- These findings underscore the importance of timely audiological follow-up and ongoing developmental surveillance for these infants.
- Early identification and intervention can mitigate potential long-term impacts.
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