Many people experience hearing loss as they age and notice signs such as failing to hear everyday sounds, frequently asking people to repeat themselves, or needing to turn up the volume on the TV or radio. But what should you do if a baby or toddler has hearing loss? Unlike adults, they cannot yet notice or clearly express whether their hearing is deteriorating. Conversely, parents find it difficult to correctly interpret signs of hearing loss in babies or toddlers.

To detect hearing loss in babies early on, newborn hearing screening is covered by statutory health insurance. Since 2009, all newborns in Germany have undergone this early detection screening within the first ten days of life. The goal is to detect congenital hearing impairments early on. This is because hearing loss not only limits daily life but can also lead to delayed speech development.

Hearing screening for newborns, also known as primary screening, takes only a few minutes and is completely painless. The examination is usually performed by doctors at the maternity ward, though sometimes pediatricians or ENT specialists conduct it. They use two screening methods:

• TEOAE (transient evoked otoacoustic emissions): This test evaluates the function of the outer hair cells in the inner ear. An earpiece with a probe emits soft sounds and measures the echo from the sensory cells. If this echo is present, the baby’s middle ear and cochlea are functioning properly.
• AABR (Automated Auditory Brainstem Response): To check whether the auditory pathway—that is, the entire inner ear, the auditory nerves, and the brainstem—is functioning properly, doctors measure the auditory nerve’s electrical response to clicking sounds using electrodes attached to the skin.

If the findings remain unclear or abnormal, the child is referred to specialized physicians—such as pediatricians, ENT specialists, or pediatric audiologists/phoniatrists—for a follow-up screening. If the suspicion of hearing loss is confirmed, further diagnostic testing is conducted at facilities specializing in phoniatrics and pediatric audiology. At the same time, parents receive counseling on early educational intervention for babies with hearing loss. Ideally, all of this takes place before the child is six months old, as this is when language development begins.

The earlier hearing loss is detected in babies, the sooner targeted intervention and prompt provision of child-appropriate hearing aids can begin. These costs are covered by public health insurance plans.

Today, there is a wide range of child-friendly behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids available for treating hearing loss in babies and toddlers, featuring a variety of adjustment options and coming in a range of bright colors.

If a child has severe hearing loss or hearing loss bordering on deafness, treatment with hearing aids may not be sufficient. In these cases, cochlear implants are a suitable option for children, as they bypass the non-functional part of the inner ear. These hearing implants are surgically implanted during a routine procedure under general anesthesia and enable affected children to participate in normal, age-appropriate speech development.

Hearing loss does not have to be a hindrance to a child’s development if it is detected early enough. Modern, child-friendly hearing aids offer a wide range of solutions for various types of hearing loss. Many hearing care professionals specialize in caring for children. You can find a hearing care professional near you by filtering your search for “pediatric audiology” in our hearing care professional directory.