Infant Hearing Screenings

Baby Demarko is just a day old... and hes being wheeled to his first test. The hearing test will catch any impairments right away. Cheryl Buckner, nurse practitioner with Provena Covenant Medical Center says "We put one of these on the back, one on the front, then hes got his own little set of earmuffs." All infants are screened by state standards before theyre discharged from the hospital. Bucker says "I dont have to calibrate it and Im not making the decision. All Im doing is being the technician for this." If there are any problems... doctors can follow up immediately. Dr. Norbitt Yoe with Provena Hospitals says "I believe of all the sense we have, in the first year or two, probably the most important sense is hearing." Hearing is the basis for developing speech and cognitive abilities. Up to five out of a thousand babies have permanent hearing loss and cant be treated. But those with mild delay have options. In 2004 these McLean County twins received cochlear implants in both their ears. Implants and hearing aids can greatly improve hearing... and learning when caught early. Yoe says "Ive picked up kids whove been diagnosed with add, attention deficit disorder, poor performance in school and you find out some of them have had hearing issues and thats probably why they werent doing as well in school or not paying attention." Baby Demarko passed his test with flying colors. Giving him a head start in life. The machine used to test hearing measures brain wave pattern when the baby responds to a clicking sound through the headphones.