 The
Infant Hearing Program is an initiative of the Government of
Ontario. Its objective is to identify infants who are deaf or
at risk of developing hearing loss in early childhood and provide
related services to families.
Children
who are born deaf, hard-of-hearing or at risk for developing hearing
loss in early childhood will be identified and will receive the
services and supports required for communication development.
First
Words, under the direction of Pinecrest-Queensway Health and
Community Services, coordinates services for Eastern Ontario which includes
Ottawa, Renfrew County, Prescott-Russell, Stormont, Dundas and
Glengarry.
Please
read below for more interesting facts about childhood hearing.
Can
your baby hear?
Even before a baby is born, he or she can hear sounds from the world
outside the womb. From the moment of birth, a baby begins to use
sounds, combined with body movement and facial expressions to make
sense of the world. When babies hear people talking, they learn to
put meaning to these sounds and they begin to learn language and how
to communicate. But some babies are born deaf or hard of hearing. It
is a very small number (about 4 in 1,000 Ontario babies). This makes it
difficult for these babies to make sense of their world and learn
language. Help is available for those babies, so it is very
important to find them as early as possible. That's why the
Government of Ontario has implemented the Infant Hearing Program to screen every newborn baby for a hearing loss.
How
will you know if your baby can hear? In Ontario, all newborn
babies can have their hearing screened. There is no charge for the
screening, and it is a simple, fast, reliable process that does not
hurt the baby in any way.
How
can you get your baby's hearing screened?
-
If
your baby spends an extended amount of time in an Ontario
hospital's special care nursery, the screening may be done
there.
-
If
your baby is born in an Ontario hospital currently doing
screenings, the screening may be done prior to discharge from
hospital.
-
You
can contact your local infant hearing centre to find out the
times and locations of local community screening clinics in your
area.
How
is a baby's hearing screened? While the baby is quiet or
sleeping, soft sounds come through a very small earphone that is
placed in the baby's ear. The baby's ear responds to the sounds, and
a screening machine automatically measures and interprets the ear's
response. It takes only a few minutes, and you will be given the
results right away. The results will tell you either that your baby
has passed the screening or that he or she should have a second
screening.
If
your baby is referred for a second screen or test, try not to worry.
Most babies who do not pass the first screening are found to have
normal hearing. There are many reasons why a baby may not pass the
first screening other than hearing loss. For example, your baby
might have a slight cold or may have been moving too much during the
screening. However, it is very important that you have the second
screening, or a hearing test, just to make sure.
If
your baby passes the screening, it means that his hearing is normal
at the time of screening. It is important to continue to pay
attention to your baby's hearing and to help speech and language
skills develop.
Visit
the Ages and Stages section of our
website to learn more about how babies learn language.
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