Universal newborn hearing screening.

Abstract

Hearing loss is an "invisible" handicap. If detection is delayed or denied, significant speech, language, social and emotional delay may result. Delayed identification of hearing loss in children will lead to missing a lot of sound input which can in turn affect their communication, learning, behavior and emotional development as well as future performance in school and work. The world literature on programs for neonatal hearing screening comes mainly from countries such as the United States of America where most births take place in hospitals. Nowadays in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, most births take place in birthing hospitals. It is therefore possible to apply the program in these hospitals, provided training of the staff and the necessary equipment is available.