Newborn Hearing Screenings

The Center for Early Intervention on Deafness reports that hearing loss remains the number one congenital defect of babies, more than the second and third most common defects/diseases combined. Infants are being diagnosed with hearing loss at higher rates due to improved screening procedures.

Beginning in 1998, the state of California mandated newborn auditory screenings at all acute care hospitals. Approximately 80% of babies born in California each year are subject to this mandate.

Babies in Orange County who do not pass their newborn hearing screenings at the hospital are referred to us for a full evaluation, including auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing. Our audiologists offer an ABR clinic for children who require sedation for accurate testing and diagnosis.cing, to meet the individual needs of our patients at every stage of their young lives —from infancy through adolescence.