Newborn Hearing Screening

At present, the AABR (automated auditory brainstem response) screener and OAE (otoacoustic emissions) analyzer are the main screening tools for neonatal hearing in the world. Hearing screening indicators at home and abroad suggest that newborns should be diagnosed within three months of birth. Therefore, newborns who fail to pass the preliminary screening should undergo follow-up full-month rescreening and other series of rescreening within three months. With the aim of "screening within 1 month," "diagnosis within 3 months" and "intervention within 6 months," it is advised, where possible, to make a diagnosis at the earliest time possible and arrange treatment as soon as possible.

Hearing Loss in Children

The important period of infants’ hearing and speech development is before 3 years old, in which the critical stage is within 6 months old. The connection between the brain auditory center and the auditory system is that after birth, the infant receives external sound stimulation continuously, so that they can develop normally. Therefore, once diagnosed as hearing impairment, they should seize the opportunity as soon as possible by wearing appropriate hearing aids and receiving hearing and speech training.

If the site of hearing loss is in the outer or middle ear, there is a possibility of treatment and a chance of hearing recovery. If the injured part is in the inner cochlea, the hearing loss cannot be treated. Only by wearing hearing aids or inserting cochlear implants can hearing be improved.

Assistive Devices for Children with Hearing Loss

• The most popular assistive listening devices on the market are hearing aids. It is suggested that hearing aids should be worn as soon as possible after diagnosis of hearing loss. Only when children learn listening skills and pronunciation methods as early as possible, can they slowly understand voice and speak meaningful language. Therefore, the sooner they have hearing stimulation, the better their hearing and speaking abilities and social skills can be developed.
• If a child is not stimulated by language or sound before the age of three, the auditory area of the brain will change to other functions. Therefore, early detection of hearing loss and appropriate hearing training will enable the auditory center of the brain to get adequate stimulation, and preserve the function of the brain auditory region, which will help the sensitivity of the auditory function. If missed, the function will be more difficult to recover.

Does Unilateral Hearing Loss Require a Hearing Aid?

As long as there is residual hearing in the affected ear, it is advised to wear hearing aids. Besides avoiding the deterioration of language recognition, it also has a better discrimination of sound source direction, which will be very helpful for hearing in noisy environments (e.g. schools). Similarly, if one ear suffers from mild to moderate hearing loss and the other from severe to very severe hearing loss, it is also recommended that both ears be equipped with hearing aids.

Cochlear Implants

• A cochlear implant is an invasive assistive device. It requires surgery to implant the electronic device into the inner cochlea. It is fit for those who suffer from severe to very severe hearing loss. To insert a cochlear implant, it is necessary to wear hearing aids for 3 months and confirmed that they are ineffective.
• After the insertion of cochlear implants, it is necessary to cooperate with the audiologist in adjusting the electrocardiogram and the speech training teacher in speech and hearing therapy in an effort to recognize new voice information and learn spoken language. Generally, it takes more than six months of training to show the effect.