Newborn hearing testing is necessary to determine if a baby has hearing loss. This cannot be diagnosed just by looking at the baby’s outer ear and eardrums. Specific tests are available to test hearing. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier can something be done to help the baby hear.

A child can develop language and speech only if he/she can hear well. Research shows that access to sound in the first 6 months of life is crucial for the development of the hearing center in the brain. Exposure to sounds in the early months of a child’s life facilitates language development and promotes growth of neural connections between the brain and the ears. If the child is deprived of this listening experience to build up language and thereby speech, the hearing centers in the brain gradually shut down and the child fails to acquire language and speech. This is why individuals with hearing loss, who are not aided efficiently, cannot speak.

Newborn hearing screening, followed by appropriate detailed hearing testing, and early intervention, in case a hearing loss is detected, can help your baby be a part of mainstream society at par with his / her hearing peers.