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Every newborn baby has to undergo a hearing test before being allowed to leave the hospital. It is very important to identify any sort of auditory problem as soon as possible so that it can be treated. Hopefully, the problem can be either substantially reduced or eliminated before it gets any worse. Between two and four infants per 1,000 are born with some sort of auditory difficulty. The reason that screening was made mandatory is that fact that previously, testing was only done on babies that met the criteria of being a high risk for auditory loss. However, since about half of babies are born with no risk factors, it was decided that the previous level of testing was not enough. The other reason that screening became mandatory is the fact that more reliable tests were developed to identify early problems. There are many advantages to catching auditory problems as early as possible. A child's inability to hear can have several negative repercussions on psychological, social, linguistic, and educational development. If an infant gets to 6 months of age and an auditory problem has not been diagnosed, that child will likely suffer significant delays in language and speech development. If the problem is identified early, an impaired child will have a much better chance of developing normal language and speech patterns. Many people have misconceptions in regard to the importance of early diagnosis of auditory difficulties. For example, many parents believe they will know if a child has hearing loss by the time he or she is 2 or 3 months old. However, before universal screening, the average age at which a child was diagnosed was not until 2 or 3 years of age. Many children who had only mild-to-moderate hearing loss weren't diagnosed until they were 4 years or older. Another misconception is among parents is that they could easily perform their own hearing test by simply clapping their hands behind their child's head. But children can compensate for this loss. The could use visual cues, such as their parent's shadow or facial expression, or even feel the breeze generated by the clap and know their parent was behind them. Some people also believe that newborn screening evaluations are unreliable, and are only a way for doctors to get more money out of new parents. The reality, though, is that only 5-7 percent of newborns are referred to a specialist because of an unsatisfactory screening test. Again, it is imperative that newborns have a hearing test before being allowed to leave the hospital. Some people believe that children will be fine if their auditory loss is not diagnosed for two or three years. By that time, however, it will be too late because irreversible delays in speech and language development would have taken place. Searching for worcester, ma hearing test? VisitMiracle-Ear Worcester, MA for more information here: http://www.miracle-ear-worcester.com.
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