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The
Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield is one of a few hospitals that
have been carrying out the test over the past year on a trial basis.
The
hearing test is carried out on newborn babies by using a soft earpiece
while the the baby is asleep. A clicking noise is sent into the
ear and the inner ear should produce an echo.
If
there is no echo, it is an early indication that the baby may have
hearing problems.
If
deafness is picked up early, the child can be given help and support
from an early age and language skills can develop almost as quickly
as a hearing child.
Before
this test, babies' hearing was not checked until they were about
six or eight months old when health visitors would watch to see
if a baby responded to a sudden noise, but the old system is not
considered very reliable.
Following
the success of the pilot scheme at Hallamshire and other hospitals,
the new hearing test should be available nationally by 2004.
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