CHILDREN AND HEARING
Contributed by Nancy Noon

According to an article written by Robert Davis of USA Today, one out of every 300 newborns has some hearing loss. Half of those children have moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears.

Tests for checking a newborn's hearing are now being introduced to hospitals across the United States. These tests are known as otoacoustic emissions tests.

The otoacoustic emissions test is a procedure that exposes infants to clicking noises and registers the response in either the infant's ear or brain.

It is recommended by the National Institutes of Health that all infants undergo the testing within the first three months of life. So far 20 states have passed laws encouraging the tests; 12 of those states REQUIRE it. Connecticut passed the otoacoustic emissions test, or newborn hearing screening, as it is familiarly known, in 1997, and it took effect in July 2000.The following hospitals in the Connecticut Quiet Corner have the screening: Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam and Windham Community Memorial Hospital in Willimantic. Other Connecticut hospitals also use this screening.

Sometimes an infant's hearing problem is correctable. A baby may have matter in their ears, which can be surgically removed. But the other cases are not so simple. The tiny hairs that transmit sound inside the ear may be damaged, resulting in a hearing loss.

Thankfully today's technology, hearing aids and cochlear implants are available. "Because the brain is developing rapidly during this stage," says Gilbert Herer, chairman of the Hearing and Speech Department at the Children's National Medical Center in Silver Springs, MD, "if you don't stimulate the auditory system, these neural tracks and neural clusters don't develop to support what we human beings use all the time."

So how can you find out if your child has a hearing loss? One way is to have your infant checked using the newborn hearing screening. And you can be aware of the different stages your child goes through at certain times through his/her development. The information below can be found on the NIDCD web site at www.nidcd.nih.gov. If your child does not react to some of these items below, please have them checked by your doctor. No child should remain in a silent world unnecessarily.

Birth to 3 months:
Reacts to loud sounds
Is soothed by your voice
Turns head to you when you speak
Is awakened by loud voices and sounds
Smiles when spoken to
Seems to know your voice and quiets down if crying

3 to 6 months:
Looks upward or turns toward a new sound
Responds to "no" and changes in tone of voice
Imitates his/her own voice
Enjoys rattles and other toys that make sound
Begins to repeat sounds (such as ooh, aah, and ba-ba)

6 to 10 months:
Responds to his/her own name, telephone ringing, someone's voice, even when not loud
Knows words for common things (cup, shoe) and sayings (bye-bye)
Makes babbling sounds, even when alone
Starts to respond to requests such as "come here"
Looks at things or pictures when someone talks about them

10 to 15 months:
Plays with own voice, enjoying the sound and feel of it
Points to or looks at familiar objects or people when asked to do so
Imitates simple words and sounds; may use a few single words meaningfully.
Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake

15 to 18 months:
Follows simple directions, such as "give me the ball"
Uses words he/she has learned often
Uses 2 - 3 word sentences to talk about and ask for things
Knows 10 to 20 words

18 to 24 months:
Understands simple "yes/no" questions (i.e. Are you hungry?)
Understands simple phrases ("in the cup," "on the table")
Enjoys being read to
Points to pictures when asked


24 to 36 months:

* Understands "not now" and "no more."
* Chooses things by size (big, little)
* Follows simple directions such as "get your shoes" and "drink your milk"
* Understands many action words (run, jump)


Sources used for this article:

NIDCD Health Information - "Silence Isn't Always Golden" on the NIDCD web site http://www.hidcd.hih.gov/health/pubs_hb/silence.htm

Hospitals in Connecticut Performing Universal Newborn/Infant Hearing
Screening on the web site
http://www.infanthearing.org/status/programs/connecticut.html
"Call goes out: Check newborns' hearing", an article written by Robert
Davis of USA Today found on the web site
http://www.usatoday.com/life/health/child/lhchi037.html