Can a baby pass the hearing screen and still have hearing loss?
It does not happen often, but sometimes babies can pass a hearing test and still have hearing loss. Mild hearing loss or loss that may affect only some pitches might not be picked up by the newborn hearing screen. It is also important to note that some infants may have hearing loss that is not present at birth. There are babies that are born with normal hearing, but later develop a hearing loss. This type of hearing loss may occur because of the following: • illness or a genetic condition • certain medications • an accident • disease If your baby has risk factors (i.e., family history of hearing loss) for a late on-set hearing loss or if you have concerns about your child’s responses to sound or speech development, you should discuss this with your baby’s doctor. It is important to keep in mind that regardless of your baby’s age, there are safe and accurate tests that can be used to measure how your baby hears.
