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Document 6 of 19.

August 06, 2000, Sunday

SECTION: NEIGHBORHOOD TIMES; ROOKIE MOM; Pg. 12

LENGTH: 1054 words

HEADLINE: Now all newborns will receive hearing tests

BYLINE: KATHERINE SNOW SMITH

BODY:
One of the most important laws the Florida Legislature passed this year doesn't affect taxes, big business or even the environment. But it will affect every baby born in this state and dramatically change the lives of many.

As of Oct. 1, every newborn must receive auditory testing to determine whether he or she has any hearing problems. The test lasts five to 30 minutes but can make a difference that lasts a lifetime.

Significant hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects. Three of every 1,000 "healthy" babies born each year have significant hearing loss in both ears while two to four of every 100 babies in intensive-care units have such problems, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

If problems are detected early, the majority of these babies eventually will hear well and develop, learn and speak at the same rate as children without hearing problems.

"The earlier you identify it, even if it's permanent sensory hearing loss, the quicker we can start stimulating the auditory nerve and getting input into the brain so they can communicate orally," said Suzanne Holder, clinical coordinator of audiology at All Children's Hospital. "The key period is the first three years of life. The longer you go without stimulating those auditory nerves and those parts of the brain that hear language, the less likelihood you have of developing speech."

Babies found to have even severe hearing problems at birth can be fitted with hearing aids or cochlear implants and learn to hear. Placed in the inner ear, cochlear implants emit electrical impulses to stimulate the auditory nerve.

"Before this (new law), the state of Florida has been screening high-risk babies only and only 50 percent of hearing loss was being captured," Holder said. "We were missing 50 percent of kids."

Though Florida was one of the first states to require hearing tests for certain at-risk newborns, the state has been far behind the curve on testing for all babies. Other states started testing all newborns 10 years ago, and to date 31 states have passed such laws, said Elizabeth Foster, campaign director for the National Campaign for Hearing Health in Washington.

It wasn't until Florida lawmakers and insurance companies were convinced that the cost of testing all babies would result in significantly lower costs of educating hearing-impaired children down the road that this law finally passed, Holder said. The state is financing the cost of the screening equipment. Medicaid and insurance companies will cover the cost of the tests.

Children can be as old as 2 or 3 before parents and doctors realize they have hearing problems. Even deaf babies babble at about six months. When they aren't talking like their peers, many parents think they are slow. In some cases, children can hear enough that it's hard to notice they have problems, yet they are not distinguishing speech to develop normal speech and language.

All Children's Hospital has been testing at-risk babies for 18 years. Bayfront Medical Center started testing babies in March before the new law was passed.

"We began a model program. We decided we better start doing this and take advantage of grant opportunities in the early stages," said Cassie Morrell, spokeswoman for the hospital. Of the 120 babies born at Bayfront from April 14-31, 8 percent failed the test and were referred to an audiologist. In May, of 257 babies born, 31 percent were referred.

As hospitals become more familiar with the test procedure, there should be a 10 percent failure rate, Holder said. Of those, 7 percent will pass within two months as their ears recover from the birthing process and adjust to life outside the womb. About 3 percent will have mild to severe hearing problems.

There are two kinds of auditory tests. In the auditory brain stem response test, a headphone is placed in the infant's ear. An electrode behind the ear measures the auditory nerve's response to sound. For the otoacoustic emissions test, a microphone is placed inside the ear canal to pick up the infinitesimally small sounds the baby's ear emits in response to outside sounds.

Some in the deaf community are critical of mandatory testing because it results in babies being fitted with hearing devices so early that neither they nor their families learn sign language. They think deaf people communicate better visually than orally.

"Some people and some parents have the misconception that cochlear implants will make kids hear, but it requires a lot of training," said Mike Kaika, director of media relations for Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., where the majority of the school's 2,000 students are deaf or hearing-impaired.

Even one of the leading doctors who does many implant procedures recommends that parents teach their children sign language as well to reinforce what they hear, he said.

But Kaika is in favor of newborn testing.

"Language is the most important thing," he said. "The sooner, the better - the kids need to be exposed to language whether sign language or voice."

When parents are told their child has a hearing problem and learn of the options, the vast majority choose to aid oral development with hearing aids or cochlear implants, Holder said.

"There is nothing more rewarding than putting a hearing aid on a baby and you start clapping and their eyes widen and they start looking around for a sound, or I have their mommy call their name and they start looking around for her," Holder said. "There's not a dry eye in the room."

Young children hearing for the first time in their life are amazed at the sound of mommy's voice, running water and birds chirping. Holder told of one toddler who kept turning around to look in back of him and they realized he was intrigued with the sound of his own footsteps.

- You can reach me by e-mail at Oliviachar@aol.com; or write Rookie Mom, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731; or call (727) 822-7225.

For your information

If your baby has not been tested and you are concerned, you can see an audiologist at All Children's Hospital without a referral. Hearing tests start around $ 85. Go to www.hearinghealth.netthen click on "DRF Helping You" for a checklist of things parents should look for in their children's hearing abilities.

LOAD-DATE: August 7, 2000

Document 6 of 19.


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