Identifying Infants with Hearing Loss

Each year in the U.S., thousands of babies are born with a hearing loss. An undetected hearing loss can affect a child's ability to develop communication, language, and social skills.

Chart: Status of infants that did not pass final hearing screening, 2005 and 2009. Loss to Follow-up - Loss to documentation 2009 (44.6%); 2005 (64.0%). Normal hearing 2009 (39.5%); 2005 (25.1%). Hearing loss 2009 (8.9%); 2005 (4.4%). In process 2009 (3.1%); 2005 (4.7%). Infant died or parents refused follow-up testing 2009 (2.3%); 2005 (0.9%). Non-resident or moved 2009 (1.6%); 2005 (1.0%). To help identify babies with hearing loss, all states and U.S. territories have established Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. EHDI programs help ensure that babies are screened and receive recommended follow-up services, such as diagnostic tests and intervention services, through data collection and outreach to hospitals, providers, and families.

Since the organized collection of data from EHDI programs started, demonstrated progress has been made in identifying and providing early intervention services to infants with hearing loss. For example, the reported mean percentage of infants screened for hearing loss increased from 46.5% in 1999 to 97.4% in 2009.

In 2005, 64.0% of infants who had not passed the hearing screening were classified as being loss to follow-up (LFU) / loss to documentation (LTD). This is because they were not documented to have received the recommended follow-up testing needed to confirm a hearing loss. Some of these infants might have received follow-up testing, but the results were not reported and their status could not be determined from available data.

By 2009, LFU/LTD among infants not passing the screening had decreased to approximately 44.6%. Also in 2009, over 5,000 infants were documented as being diagnosed with a permanent hearing loss, which is the highest number ever reported by EHDI programs.

These findings demonstrate progress toward achieving benchmarks for hearing screening, diagnostic evaluation, and intervention. Evidence of need has been established to continue efforts and ensure infants receive recommended services as soon as possible.

Data Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Identifying Infants with Hearing Loss --- United States, 1999—2007. MMWR 59(08); 220-223.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Summary of 2009 National CDC EHDI Data. www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/ehdi-data2009.html

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