Hearing assessments for babies

Before the appointment 

Your baby has been referred to Audiology for further hearing tests after his or her newborn hearing screening. You will be seen by one of our experienced children’s audiologists. 

On the gov.uk website there’s a checklist of what to look for as your baby grows to check if they can hear. Don’t forget, though, that the ages in the list are just a guide, and not all babies can do things at the same age.

If you would like to discuss anything with us before coming into the clinic, please call us on 0300 303 8640. If we can’t help you when you call us, we'll arrange for a member of the team to contact you. 

If possible, please arrange childcare for young siblings, as we need the room to be quiet and appointments can last up to two hours. This is because testing is most successful if your baby is fast asleep. 

We need your baby to be asleep if possible. Parents generally find that keeping their baby awake in the morning before the appointment helps, as well as a good feed just before they arrive. 

It’s also a good idea to bring an extra feed with you. We are able to warm bottles and have a quiet area for breastfeeding. There are also baby changing facilities nearby. Please also bring something which soothes them and helps them fall asleep.  

Please don’t put any moisturiser or baby oil on your baby’s forehead or behind their ears the night before or on the day of testing, as this can make it difficult to attach the measuring pads. 

We'll send you a leaflet with your appointment letter with information on the testing we’ll do during your baby’s appointment. 

During the appointment  

You’ll stay with your baby the whole time.  

Our tests are similar to those used for the newborn screening. However, they will give us more detailed information about your baby’s hearing. The tests will not harm your baby in any way. 

We’ll do at least one of these tests: 

  • Otoscopy and/or tympanometry. The audiologist may examine your baby’s outer ears with a light, as well as perform a pressure test to check how well the eardrums are moving. 

  • Otoacoustic emission (OAE). In this test we’ll put a soft earpiece in the outer part of your baby’s ear which plays clicking sounds. The testing equipment listens for ‘echos’ from the inner ear (or ‘cochlea’) in response to the clicking. 

  • Auditory brainstem response (ABR). We'll gently rub an area of your baby’s skin on their forehead and behind each ear and stick a small measuring pad at each of these points. We’ll then put a small earphone in the outer part of your baby’s ear which plays sounds into the ear (similar to the OAE test). A computer then measures electrical responses to these sounds from the hearing nerve, through the measuring pads. 

We’ll explain the results to you at the end of the appointment and you'll be able to ask any questions you may have. We’ll also send you a copy of your baby’s clinical report, as well as send a copy to your GP, health visitor and any other professionals involved (with your permission). 

Sometimes we can’t get a full set of results in one session (e.g. if your baby wakes up during the test). If this happens, we’ll book you another appointment to continue with testing. 

Other helpful websites 

The National Deaf Children’s Society 

You can contact the NDCS via Internet live chat, their freephone helpline on 0808 800 8880 (Monday-Thursday: 9.30am–9.30pm. Friday: 9.30am–5pm), or email at helpline@ndcs.org.uk 

NHS Choices or GOV.UK also have some useful information for parents. Enter 'newborn hearing' into the search box.

Children's Audiology