-------Hearing Screening Program
-Identifies Problems
----------Early

Each year in the United States, 12,000 babies are born with permanent hearing loss, and approximately 2 out of every 1,000 babies have no risk factors. That’s why the University of Michigan Health System implemented a two-part program to screen every baby born in the U-M Women’s Hospital birthing center, Holden Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and to promote follow-up care when necessary. The team of audiologists, technicians, and doctors are determined to find what Paul Kileny, Ph.D., Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics and U-M Health System Director of Audiology and Electrophysiology, calls “the needle in the haystack”—the baby who without the early detection and intervention program could be left behind.

The program at the University of Michigan is one of the nation’s most effective early childhood hearing programs. The program was meticulously organized to make sure that virtually every baby born at the hospital is screened. This diligence coupled with a dedicated staff under the direction of audiologist Breena Scharrer has given the program a 99.8 percent success rate and ensured that nearly 4,000 babies were screened.

“The first step is identification, and early identification is vital for a child’s normal development. Identifying any problems at an early age gives us the chance to use our skills to help preserve normal milestones of speech and language development, which will hopefully help avoid any delay that the child might otherwise have,” says Kileny.

U-M’s staff provides screening seven days a week, which is usually completed in the first 12 to 24 hours after birth. Depending on the screening results and risk factors, the program gives continuous support through numerous services and frequent communication. For example, educational materials outlining important milestones for a child’s hearing, speech, and language development are given to all parents to promote awareness about later-onset childhood hearing loss.

The University of Michigan Health System Department of Otolaryngology was presented with the Alexander Graham Bell Society’s Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Hospital Award last spring for its commitment to early screening and dedication to providing follow-up services. The award coincides with the Department of Otolaryngology’s 100th anniversary.

Funding has been provided by the Carls Foundation and FRIENDS of the University of Michigan Health System, with ongoing support from UMHS.