Newborn hearing screening: selected experience in the United States

Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) is rapidly becoming 'standard of care' in the United States. More than two dozen states now require, through legislative mandate, that the state establishes a system for early hearing detection and intervention (EDHI), beginning with mandated UNHS. In states with long-standing EDHI programs, the average age of identification and intervention has decreased significantly. In those states, infants are identified and intervention initiated typically before age 6 months, meeting the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing's (JCIH) recommendation for newborn hearing screening, diagnosis and intervention. Language outcome data suggest that earlier intervention results in better language outcomes for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. This article reviews the current status of UNHS in the United States, summarizes the Colorado statewide program and describes the JCIH Year 2000 position statement for developing comprehensive EDHI programs.