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Why screen my baby's hearing?

One or two babies in every 1000 are born with a hearing loss. Most of these babies will be born into families where no-one else has a hearing loss. It is not easy for parents to tell if a young baby has a hearing loss. Finding out early is important for a baby’s development. It also means that support and information can be offered right from the start.

Hearing screening tells us which babies may have a hearing loss. The screening test shows us which babies need more tests to decide if they have a hearing loss.

Screening does not detect all hearing loss or prevent future hearing difficulties.

Click here for details about how we screen baby's hearing.