Until now, the most common techniques used in the neonatal hearing screening programs are 1- Automatic Auditory Brainstem Response (aABR) and 2) Otoacustic Emissions (OAE), but both have limitations that need to be solved, I can send u some links about this if u are interested

Thanks Alioth, I would be interested in those links.

It's a reality that when you review the literature you don't find the expected results but I think that it isn't because of there aren't proven benefits but those kind of prospective studies are difficult to achieve. It's true that scientific method works like that, you have to show some evidence to demonstrate a theoretical phenomenon, but I don't really think that is hard to imagine that a deaf child would have trouble with learning and the earlier the diagnosis the best the outcome, if the neurodevelopmental programs work well, of course!

Hi there

There have been a number of high profile debates in the literature, especially in the States about this. See the paper by Bess and Paradise (Universal Screenings for Hearing Impairment: Not so Simple, Not Risk Free, Not Necessarily Beneficial and Not Presently Justified. Pediatrics, 93 (2) 330-334.) and the ensuing debate that raged!

In my opinion, the evidence is strong that early intervention (eg hearing aids or a CI) PLUS a committed family suggests much better outcomes for children born with a sensorineural hearing loss. This is supported by good evidence, eg Early intervention after universal neonatal hearing screening: Impact on outcomes by Christine Yoshinaga-Itano et al: Early Intervention and Language Development in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing by Mary Pat Moeller, This suggests newborn hearing screening is better than say a health visitor screen at age 8 months.

To my thinking, a screening program is only as good as what happens to the children after they have failed the screen. there is loads of information about the English universal newborn hearing screening on their website, including all the protocols, and the ongoing Quality Assurance programme. The URL is http://hearing.screening.nhs.uk/ Without good diagnostic testing and appropriate remediation, then the screening process will never achieve all that it promised.

Thanks

Penny

In my country as far as I know, the same objective assessment tools are used for neonatal hearing screening: that- Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) and Oto-acoustic Emissions (OAEs) as they give better estimation of the integrity of child's auditory function

Hi There

I would definitely agree with Penny R Hill - Feltham. However there definitely a variability in performance in children who are early identified.  Which I mean not all children will benefit equally. 

Most of countries of would fallow similar tools that are AABR and OAE. However, some of recent literature looking at modifying the earlier proposed tools. They would like to add wideband reflectance. So that it may assists in identifying Middle ear pathology.