The ear test is a mandatory test by law that must be done in the maternity ward, in babies to assess hearing and to detect early some degree of deafness in the baby. This test is free, easy and does not hurt the baby, being done during sleep.
The test is done by placing a specific device in the baby's ear to detect hearing problems, such as deafness, which hinder the child's speech and learning. If the ear test detects a problem, the baby is referred to the otorhinolaryngologist, who will guide the best treatment for the diagnosed problem.
Who needs to do the ear test
According to the guidance of the Ministry of Health, all babies who are born in the hospital need to perform the ear test, also called neonatal hearing screening, still in the maternity ward, in the first days of birth.
The test should be done, preferably, on the 2nd or 3rd day of the baby's life, but it can also be performed at any age if the parents or pediatrician suspect that the child does not listen well because he does not react to sounds.
The baby who has a higher risk of having the ear test changed are those who:
- They were born premature, before 38 weeks of gestation; They have some case of deafness in the family; They stayed more than 5 days in the ICU or were hospitalized and need to breathe with the help of devices, took antibiotics or diuretics; They were born with less than 1, 5kg; Have some syndrome like Waardenburg, Alport, Pendred or alteration like cleft lip; When the mother had an infection during pregnancy such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes, syphilis or HIV; In case of malformation involving the ear or bones of the face; if the baby had any of the diseases at birth: cytomegalovirus, herpes, measles, chickenpox and meningitis; if the baby suffered head trauma; if the baby has chemotherapy.
The test must be performed on both ears and can be repeated after 30 days.
What to do if the ear test changes
The test can be altered in only one ear, when the baby has fluid in the ear, which can be the amniotic fluid. In this case, the test should be repeated after 1 month.
When the doctor identifies any changes in both ears, he can immediately indicate that the parents take the baby to the otorhinolaryngologist or speech therapist to confirm the diagnosis and start treatment. In addition, it may be necessary to observe the baby's development, trying to see if he hears well. At 7 and 12 months of age, the pediatrician can perform the ear test again to assess the baby's hearing.
The following table indicates how the child's hearing develops:
| Baby age | What he should do |
| Newborn | Startled by loud sounds |
| 0 to 3 months | Calms down with moderately loud sounds and music |
| 3 to 4 months | Pay attention to sounds and try to imitate sounds |
| 6 to 8 months | Try to find out where the sound comes from; say things like 'dada' |
| 12 months | starts to speak the first words, like mom and understands clear orders, like 'bye bye' |
| 18 months | speak at least 6 words |
| 2 years | speaks phrases using 2 words like 'quégua' |
| 3 years | speaks phrases with more than 3 words and wants to give orders |
The best way to know if your baby is not listening well is to take him to the doctor for tests. At the doctor's office, the pediatrician may perform some tests that show that the child has a hearing impairment and if this is confirmed, he may indicate the use of a hearing aid that can be made to measure.
See other tests that the baby should do right after birth.
