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Newborn Hearing Screening

Newborn hearing screening is a screening that is conducted on babies when they are still in the hospital. The test is given to babies around 10-12 hours after birth. It is harmless and quick as it is done while the baby is sleeping.

Newborn hearing screenings are mandated by Texas House Bill 714 as a response to federal legislation.

Early Screening Is Important.

It is best to do the hearing screening at the hospital. If it is not possible, contact your baby's pediatrician to schedule one within a few days. Unidentified hearing loss can cause delays in developing communication, language, academic, and social skills.

There are three main goals for early identification and intervention of infants who are deaf or hard of hearing. This plan is called “1, 3, 6,” which means:

  • By 1 month, all children will get a hearing screening.
  • By 3 months, all children who have hearing loss will be identified.
  • By 6 months, all children with hearing loss will get support from a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing.
 

For detailed information about this process, see Joint Commission on Infant Hearing.

 

The sooner the screening test is done, the sooner your family can begin receiving the right kind of care. For babies that are diagnosed with deafness, they can start intervention care. Intervention care is most helpful when it begins before the baby becomes 6 months old.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Infant Hearing Screening

For the early infant hearing screening, an Auditory Brainstem Response screening or ABR will be done.

  • The medical staff will put electrodes on your child’s head. These will show the brain’s response to sounds.
  • Either headphones or small speakers are placed on or in your child’s ears.
  • The audiologist sends sounds into the speakers, and the ABR machine shows the brain “hearing” the sounds.
  • If the sounds have to be turned up louder than normal to see a brain response, then your child may have a hearing loss.
  • If the test shows that your child may have a hearing loss, you will be referred for a diagnostic ABR.
  • The diagnostic ABR will give more exact information about your child’s hearing.

Depending on your family's resources, the screening is paid for by 

  •  Medicaid, or
  •  insurance companies that cover the costs of screenings at birth.
 

Any additional hearing testing is also paid for by both until the baby is 24 months old.

Texas law requires that screening results be documented in the TEDHI MIS. This information is confidential and only shared with state-mandated reporters, such as our Care Coordination team.
 
You, the parent, can consent to share your personal identifying information with TEDHI and the Statewide Outreach Center. This information allows early intervention providers to contact you to provide support and services.