Newborn Hearing Screening

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) is committed to identifying children with hearing loss during their infancy so they can begin to receive appropriate and early intervention.  Every baby born at LPCH undergoes newborn hearing screening.  The earlier hearing loss is discovered the sooner treatment can begin.
 
Good hearing is essential for a child’s overall development.  Hearing loss is the most common birth defect — approximately three out of 1,000 babies are born with significant hearing loss.  If a child's hearing loss is not discovered at birth, it can go undetected for years, resulting in severe language and social delays.  Early intervention services greatly improve the child's prognosis of achieving normal social, emotional and language development.
 
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How the Screening Works

Trained volunteers and employees perform the hearing screen using a device called ALGO. Three sensors are placed on the baby’s skin and an earphone is placed on each ear. Soft clicking sounds are presented through the earphones. The screen is easy, painless, reliable and takes only a few minutes if the baby is sleeping.
 
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What Happens If Your Baby Does Not Pass the Screen?

If your baby's response does not appear normal, the ALGO will give a "Refer" result, which means further testing is needed. Reasons for a "Refer" result include: 

• Wax or vernix (birthing fluid) in the ear canal 
• Fluid behind the eardrum 
• Hearing loss 
• Your baby may have been too active to obtain reliable results

If your baby does not pass the screen, then outpatient testing will be scheduled.  Should you have questions regarding the newborn hearing screening program, please call (650) 497-8856.
 
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