Friday, May 14, 2010

How to Test a Newborn’s Hearing

There are two different ways to test a newsborn's hearing. Otoacoustic emissions measure echoes from the cochlea when it is stimulated by sound by placing a tiny microphone into the ear of the sleeping newborn. The other option is automated auditory brainstem response testing, where a few small sticker electrodes are placed on the baby’s head to measure the brain’s response to small sounds.