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New Hearing Screening Guidelines
Joint Committee on Infant Hearing: Year 2007 Position Statement: Principles and Guidelines for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs. PEDIATRICS (Oct 2007); 120: 898-921. [Full text] [PDF]
The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) endorses early detection of and intervention for infants with hearing loss. The goal of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is to maximize linguistic competence and literacy development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Without appropriate opportunities to learn language, these children will fall behind their hearing peers in communication, cognition, reading, and social-emotional development. Such delays may result in lower educational and employment levels in adulthood.1 To maximize the outcome for infants who are deaf or hard of hearing, the hearing of all infants should be screened at no later than 1 month of age. Those who do not pass screening should have a comprehensive audiological evaluation at no later than 3 months of age. Infants with confirmed hearing loss should receive appropriate intervention at no later than 6 months of age from health care and education professionals with expertise in hearing loss and deafness in infants and young children. Regardless of previous hearing-screening outcomes, all infants with or without risk factors should receive ongoing surveillance of communicative development beginning at 2 months of age during well-child visits in the medical home.2 EHDI systems should guarantee seamless transitions for infants and their families through this process.
Comments. Some of the major changes in the new position statement include:
1) All NICU patients admitted for more than 5 days should have ABR screening done to rule out neural hearing loss.
2) NICU patients who do not pass automated ABR testing should be referred directly to an audiologist for comprehensive evaluation.
3) For re-screening, test both ears again, even if only 1 ear failed initial screening.
4) Infants with risk factors for hearing loss, who pass neonatal screening, should be screened again at least once before 24-30 months.
5) Infants with confirmed hearing loss should have evaluations by genetics, ENT and ophthalmology.
There are several other new recommendations for screening, evaluation and intervention for congenital hearing loss. Those involved in management of hearing screening programs are encouraged to read the full text of this new policy statement. ABK
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