Universal newborn hearing screening--the Colorado story

Abstract

The Colorado State Public Health Department inaugurated a state-wide program of universal newborn hearing screening in 1992. A preliminary report covers the screening of 14,494 infants. 95% passed the screening tests, 5% failed. Of the failures, 6% were found with confirmed hearing losses. The average cost per test was $25.00. Research from the University of Colorado confirms that children receiving intervention by 3 months perform significantly higher at 40 months than those identified later.