Newborn Hearing
Hearing loss is one of the most common disorders in early childhood, In Canada, hearing loss affects between 2 to 3 infants for every 1000 births. About half of those affected have no obvious risk factors.
The early years of a child’s life are vital to the development of lifelong language and literacy skills. Undetected hearing loss from birth has the ability to have lasting effects on brain development.
The long term impact of undiagnosed early hearing loss may include lower academic achievement, underemployment, poor social adaptation and psychological distress, and are directly related to the amount of hearing loss and length of delay of diagnosis and intervention.
Parents are encouraged to observe the responses of their children to sounds during the early years. The signs of hearing loss can be difficult to detect, as young children are very good at adapting to what they have. However, the earlier a hearing loss is detected and an intervention is put in place, the better. For further information on what are signs of a hearing problem see the links below. If you have concerns about your child’s hearing, speak to your doctor and request a referral for a hearing test.
External Links
Position Statement on Universal newborn hearing screening