Hearing Screening & Intervention

Mateo is in your office for his 4-month Texas Health Steps preventive medical checkup. Mateo did not pass the initial newborn hearing screening or the repeat screening before discharge, and diagnostic audiology testing confirmed he has moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss. Mateo’s parents express doubt about the diagnosis because there is no history of deafness or atypical hearing in their families, and they have observed Mateo startle at some sudden noises. They state their intention to hold off on any intervention because they expect Mateo’s hearing to improve as he gets older. “If Mateo still has hearing problems when he gets older, can you give us a referral?”

During Amara’s 8-year Texas Health Steps preventive medical checkup, her mother reports that Amara increasingly asks people to repeat themselves and sometimes misses instructions at home and school. She has noticed that Amara likes to sit close to the family TV and tilts her head to the right when watching a program. She wonders whether Amara is simply not paying attention or whether she has trouble hearing.

You review Amara’s medical history and note that she passed her newborn hearing screening and the school-based audiometric screening in first grade, which replaced the audiometric screening required at her 6-year preventive medical checkup. However, you also note her history of otitis media (infection or inflammation of the middle ear), a potential cause of late-onset hearing loss. Amara, now in third grade, has not received a school-based screening this year and is due to receive audiometric testing as part of her 8-year checkup.