FAQs
Is it necessary to have my newborn baby's hearing tested?
The first months and years of a baby's life are very important for developing language. Undetected hearing loss is one of the causes of delayed language development. Delayed language development can lead to behaviour and emotional problems and later, to problems in school.
Most deaf and hard-of-hearing children whose hearing loss is identified early, and who receive the support they need, will have the same chance to develop language skills as hearing children.
Does a refer result mean my baby is deaf?
Hearing screening is the first step to finding babies who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. There are many services in place to help these infants. Early identification is important to help these children grow up learning language and communicating just like children who hear normally. The Infant Hearing Program aims to identify hearing impaired children by the age of 6 months.