Undetected hearing loss: a mother's story

'From my perspective, Joe is like any other child,' says Suzanne. 'He has a great social life and is doing well in school. I know how I worried at the beginning but with the help of the aids, I feel that his hearing loss is not adversely affecting him.'

Joe has also had excellent support from his mainstream school and from the local hospital's audiology department.

Screening for hearing loss

Nowadays, babies are screened for hearing loss in hospital or a few days after they go home through the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme. The test is quick and doesn't hurt the baby.

Parents of Down's Syndrome babies should be particularly careful to get their babies' hearing checked as hearing problems can arise in up to 50 per cent of these children, according to the NHS. Down's Syndrome babies can be prone to 'glue ear' which means the baby can have a hearing loss that fluctuates.

If tests show that your baby does have a hearing loss, then you should get an appointment with the local hospital's audiology department.

And don't stop communicating with your baby because he or she has a hearing loss. Your baby is likely to be able to hear some sounds. Facing your baby, being at their level when you talk to them and making use of facial expressions can all be ways parents can communicate well with deaf or hard of hearing babies.

For more information

Contact RNID to find out more about infant hearing loss. RNID is the largest charity working to change the world for the UK's nine million deaf and hard of hearing people. We do this with the help of our members by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss, providing services and through social, medical and technical research. To find out more visit www.rnid.org.uk.