Screening for and assessment of infant hearing impairment.

With the identification of hearing loss at birth and appropriate intervention within 6 months after birth, language can develop normally, even in children with severe hearing impairment. Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) is now endorsed by numerous national groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. Two electrophysiologic techniques--automated auditory brainstem response (ABR) and otoacoustic emissions (OAEs)--are used for the identification of communicatively significant hearing loss in newborn infants. UNHS is legislatively supported by more than one half of the United States, including the most populous. Successful hearing screening and intervention programs require the support and expertise of pediatricians, including perinatologists.