Hospitals

Birth hospitals have the important mission of beginning each newborn’s journey of healthy hearing by screening the baby before they are discharged. If the baby fails this initial screening, follow up with a rescreen or refer to a pediatric audiologist for a diagnosis by three months of age, and if needed the baby will begin early intervention services by six months of age.   

“The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH 2000, 2007) recommends all infants are screened no later than 1 month of age to maximize social, emotional, and linguistic outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing” (NCHAM, 2016, p. 2-1).  Approximately 99% of Arkansas newborns receive an initial hearing screen before they leave the hospital. Hospital staff then create the hearing screening record which is reported and tracked by the Infant Hearing Program per state law.

Screening Best Practices

• Always wait at least 12 hours after birth before screening.  
• Infants should never receive more than two screenings prior to discharge. 
• Prepare the environment to ensure a quiet space where the baby is calm. 
• Ensure you can see the ear canal clearly, pull the hear back slightly to insert the probe tip correctly.  
• Choose the appropriate size probe tip that fits snuggly in the ear canal to block background noise. 
• Ensure there are no cell phones or smart devices near the baby or testing equipment, these cause electrical interference that can cause a false refer. 
• Make sure the hearing equipment cables are not crossed or touching during the test. 
• Do not hold the probe in place during the screening, this will cause background noise that affects the screening. 
• If you have concerns about your hearing equipment, test an adult that does not have a hearing condition, to make sure you get a normal result.

Communicating Test Results

Loaner Equipment

The Infant Hearing Program has equipment available if your facility’s equipment malfunctions. Call the Infant Hearing Program at 501-280-4740 to request loaner equipment.

Rules

• Act 1559 of 1999
• Rules and Regulations

Resources

• Hearing Screening Provider List
• Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Website
• 2019 JCIH Position Statement
• Newborn Hearing Screening Recommendations
• Tips for Communicating Screening Refer Results to Parents
• Newborn Hearing Screening Infographic
• Tips for Screening using AABR
• Tips for Screening using OAE
• Hearing Screening Tips
• Order Educational Materials
• Providers of Follow-up Infant Hearing Screening
• Diagnostic Providers list

Forms

• ERAVE User Application Form
• Initial Screening Questionnaire Form – English
• Initial Screening Questionnaire Form – Spanish
• Rescreen Questionnaire Form – English
• Rescreen Questionnaire Form – Spanish