What do the results mean?

What are the effects of newborn screening? Is this a diagnosis? If a baby passes the screening, is everything okay? If they fail, are they deaf or hard of hearing?

The screening is a simple test done by an a trained hearing screener. It is not a comprehensive testing of hearing. Its purpose is to identify babies that need further testing to determine the presence of a hearing loss. If a baby does not pass the screening test, more thorough hearing testing is normally done before a diagnosis is made. It is important for parents to realize that in screening, there can be "false positives." Screenings are not comprehensive. A baby may fail the screening, but follow-up testing can indicate no hearing loss. On the other hand, a baby may pass the screening, yet in time, a hearing loss may be identified.

A lot of babies need to have a second hearing screening test because the first screen didn’t show a clear response from both of the baby’s ears. This does not necessarily mean that your baby has hearing loss. Some common reasons, other than hearing loss, for having a second screening test are:

• Your baby may have been unsettled at the time of screening. 
• There may have been background noise when the screening test was carried out.
• Your baby may have fluid or a temporary blockage in the ear after the birth. This is very common and will pass with time.

What if I still suspect a hearing loss even though the hearing screening didn’t indicate a hearing loss? 

The screening detects moderate to more severe hearing loss, and may not detect more mild hearing losses.  Also, some types of hearing loss may not be present at birth, but may develop over time or occur later.  That is why it is extremely important to be familiar with typical hearing and language milestones, and to enjoy communicative activities with your baby that help you observe your baby’s response to sound.

If you continue to suspect a hearing loss, ask your doctor for a referral to an audiologist or call your closest Public Health Clinic and ask for an appointment for your baby or young child.