Hearing Tests for Newborns

The First Impressions Birthing Center at Guthrie's Robert Packer Hospital is pleased to offer hearing screenings to all newborns prior to discharge. Early detection of hearing impairment offers affected children a better chance at developing normal language skills. This service is offered in collaboration with the Pediatrix Medical Group.

Children achieve important language milestones between birth and age two. "Cooing" and "babbling" may seem like random sounds, but they are actually how a baby practices early speech. Young children go on to mimic many of the sounds they hear their parents make, and impaired hearing can slow down or prevent this type of speech learning. Early detection of hearing problems is the key to keeping a child on the path to normal language development. A number of therapeutic steps can be prescribed, depending on the type and severity of hearing damage. Amplification, speech therapy and sign language may be used to help the child make normal progress. One study has found that children fitted with hearing aids before the age of six months went on to have normal language development by age five.

The newborn hearing screening program keeps Robert Packer Hospital on the cutting edge of newborn care. The device uses a pair of earphones that make soft clicking sounds while a monitor measures brain response. The procedure is gentle on the baby and takes only about 30 minutes to perform.

To schedule a tour of our First Impressions Birthing Center, call toll-free 1-888-4GUTHRIE (1-888-448-8474)