Ability to hear is significantly important for development of languages and speeches, which consecutively results in thought and intelligence of child. Child needs to sense the sound since being infant, and the usual hearing requires normal cochlear and nervous system.

Risk Factor of Neonatal Hearing Loss in Infant

In 1,000 infants, 2-4 of them always lose hearing. The ratio can be as high as 1 out of 75 infants. The risk factors are:

• People in the family has a hearing problem, or has been congenially deaf.
• Infected mother during pregnancy such as CMV, Rubella, Herpes, and Toxoplasmosis germs.
• Infant with abnormal face, skull, auditory canal, and ear.
• A problem during delivery, need to be admitted in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) such as symptom of body yellow, receive blood transfusion, or respirator needed.
• neonatal weight is lower than 1,500 grams.
• Apgar Score is low; between 0-4 in 1 minute, and 0-6 in 5 minutes.
• Some characteristics are according to symptoms of gene disease about hearing abnormality.

      How to know the neonatal hearing loss?

      Neonatal Otoacoustic Emission must be done with the infants before checking out from the hospital, by using Automated Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) which is a universal standard equipment. OAE can be done fast and effectively. The method includes inserting Probe into the auditory canal, then it will softly cry out (Acoustic Stimulation) and listen to Otoacoustic Emission. If the Otoacoustic Emission make some noise, it means that Cochlear in voice period at 500-600 Hz work as usual.

      Why Neonatal Detection?

      Infants can hear since they were born. Some of them cannot do that because of some causes. Otoacoustic Emission is the only way to indicate the problem of hearing. It is necessary to detect the infant as soon as possible because these infants will be difficult to learn. In case of hearing loss, they will be taken care at the beginning onward.

      If the preliminary result indicates the abnormality, Piyavate Hospital will re-detect for confirmation. And if the result indicates the abnormality both, the paediatrician will do the special examine called Auditory Brain Stem Response, ABR. This kind of examination is evaluating performance of auditory nerve, cochlear, and auditory brain stem, in order for more accurate result. If the latter examinations are performed and the result indicates the abnormality, we can use the audiphone since 5-6 months of age for usual auditory and development.

      Infants with neonatal hearing loss can develop usually if they are cured immediately. Most of parents would notice the deafness at the 2-3 years of age. It may be found because of response to some behaviors such as clapping hands. Such response does not mean the non-abnormality of child, but it is from adjustment to the hearing loss by watching the movement of parents instead. The deaf child who is cured with audiphone since 6 months old will be able to listen and speak as usual. However, the sooner detection will result in better development.