What is the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program?
It is a program that began in CT on July 1, 2000 in which all babies are screened for hearing loss at birth. The Department of Public Health (DPH) is the State agency that oversees the program and developed program guidelines for birth hospitals and audiologists to follow. Q- Why are infants screened for hearing loss at such an early age? Hearing loss is the most common occurring disability in infants. In the United States, one out of 33 babies a day are born with congenital hearing loss. Early hearing detection and intervention is essential in promoting healthy development in children. The first few months of life offer the critical window of opportunity for stimulating the auditory pathways to the hearing center of the brain, necessary to help children learn fundamental language, social, and cognitive skills. Studies have shown that infants who are identified and treated by 6 months of age will develop age-appropriate language by three years of age. In the past, the average age of id
