Approximately 3 in every 1000 babies are born hard of hearing or deaf. Many of these babies are identified through nationwide newborn screening efforts and are provided with the help they need. By 6 years of age, however, the number of children affected by hearing loss doubles to 6 in 1000. Because toddlers and young children do not typically receive any hearing screening until they enter school, those who develop a hearing loss during early childhood, or were lost to follow-up after the newborn screen, are likely to remain undiagnosed and unserved during the most critical language-learning years. Hearing screening during early childhood can change that.
Hearing Screening Program Development
Get Started
& Implement
- Screening Methods
- Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Screening is recommended for all children 0 – 3 years of age. It is also appropriate for many children over 3 who are unable to follow instructions and complete tasks required for Pure Tone Audiometric Screening. Pure Tone Screening has traditionally been recommended for children over 3 years of age who can follow instructions and complete screening tasks. Talk with your local pediatric audiologist about which method, or methods, are optimal for the population you serve.
The Early Childhood Hearing Outreach (ECHO) Initiative is focused on extending the benefits of periodic hearing screening to young children in a variety of health and education settings. The ECHO Initiative is part of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University and serves Early Head Start/Head Start programs as the National Resource Center on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. Our goals are to ensure that early childhood education and health care providers have:
- Information and resources for screening children 0 - 3 years of age (OAE is the recommended method);
- Information and resources for screening children 3 - 5 years of age (considerations in selecting a screening method [PDF]);
- Tools to effectively implement hearing screening so that children with hearing-health needs are identified as early as possible and provided with appropriate follow-up services and support; and
- Strategies for using hearing screening as an opportunity to promote language development in all children as an integral part of school readiness.
Take a quick video tour of the website
Read a brief description about OAE screening [PDF]
Watch a one-minute video demonstrating OAE screening
Consider whether your setting is appropriate for OAE Screening [PDF]
Learn more about the ECHO Initiative
Meet the ECHO Initiative Team
Read published articles
Interactive Learning Opportunities
Access New Training Resources for Implementing Evidence-based Pure Tone Hearing Screening with Children 3 – 5 Years of Age On-Demand Webinar Coffee Break Webinar
Documentation and Tracking: Essential Elements for Implementing Evidence-based Hearing Screening and Follow-up Practices with Children Birth to Five Years of Age, Tuesday, January 15, 2019. 2-3 pm ET
Implementing Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) Hearing Screening and Follow-up: Self-Guided Learning Curriculum Webinar, Tuesday, February 12, 2019. 2-3 pm ET