Language and Hearing Milestones
Frequently Asked Questions
- The hospital said my baby “referred” on the newborn hearing screening, what does “refer” mean?
Refer means that your baby did NOT pass the newborn hearing screen. It does not mean your child definitely has a hearing loss, but it does mean that additional testing is critical to determine what your baby’s hearing status is. The follow up hearing test should be completed by 3 months of age or sedation may be required to complete the test. The hospital should have referred you directly to an audiologist in your area who is equipped and experienced in testing the hearing of babies. There is a list of audiologists in the state who can provide hearing tests on babies on our website www.hearing.in.gov (list is labeled “Comprehensive and Limited Audiology Provider Facilities”)
- What is an audiologist?
An audiologist is a licensed health care provider (with a doctorate or master’s degree) who has the education, training and specialized equipment to test and diagnose hearing loss and make necessary recommendations for follow up. Not every audiologist is equipped and experienced to provide hearing tests on infants. Please find a list of audiology providers throughout the state of Indiana who can complete audiology testing on babies and children on our website at www.hearing.in.gov. The list of audiologists is listed under "FAMILY RESOURCES” and is labeled “Comprehensive and Limited Audiology Provider Facilities”.
- My baby reacts to loud sounds, does he/she still need testing?
Hearing isn’t “all or none”. There are different levels of hearing loss. Even if your baby can hear loud sounds or your voice when you are close, he/she may not be able to hear soft or medium level sounds or speech. Sounds in our speech have different loudness levels. A child with hearing loss may only hear parts of words (i.e. they may only hear “a” in a word like “sat”). An audiology exam (hearing test) should be completed by the time your baby is three months of age.
- Is hearing loss and deafness common?
Hearing loss is one of the most common conditions that can be identified at birth and is present in 1-3 babies per thousand. There are also risk factors that put a child at risk for developing hearing loss later in childhood. Ninety percent of children who are born as deaf or hard of hearing are born into families where no one else is deaf or hard of hearing, so it is important to have your baby tested even if there is no family history.
- My baby can’t talk yet, so there isn’t a rush to see if he has hearing loss. Can we just test again later if we notice anything?
Even though children don’t start using their first words until closer to 12 months, they do LISTEN from the moment they are born. These early months of listening are critical for development of brain function and development of speech and language skills. For example, they may hear you say “mama”, “dada” or “bye-bye” hundreds of times before they actually say it. Hearing words over and over again is how they learn to say them. The earlier the hearing loss is found in an infant, the earlier he/she can start receiving services to improve speech, language and learning.
- I don’t have insurance. How will I pay for the hearing test? How much does it cost?
Medicaid and most private health insurance plans cover the costs of the hearing test and any resulting testing until the infant is 24 months of age. You should confirm the cost of the evaluation with the provider when you schedule. There are also some locations in Indiana who provide testing at no charge or on a sliding scale. There is a list of audiology providers in Indiana who can test babies after newborn hearing screening listed on our website at www.hearing.in.gov.
- Will the test still be accurate if my baby has fluid in his/her ears?
Yes, the test can still be completed. Special testing will determine if the hearing loss is from the fluid or if there is a permanent hearing loss. Your baby may need repeat testing to determine his/her hearing after fluid is resolved and also to make sure the fluid is gone.
- If my baby passed in one ear, does he/she still need testing?
Absolutely! Hearing loss in one ear does impact speech, language and learning. This becomes even more apparent in groups or noisy situations. It impacts a child’s ability to tell what direction sounds are coming from, so knowing if a child has a loss in one ear is a safety issue as well. Also, hearing loss in one ear puts a child at risk for developing a loss in the other ear so it is important to monitor hearing levels in both ears.
The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention program (EHDI) at the Indiana State Department of Health is committed to the state and national goals of “1-3-6”. EHDI is tasked with making sure that every baby born in Indiana receives a hearing screening by 1 month of age, if they don’t pass newborn hearing screening, receive a diagnostic audiology exam by 3 months of age, and if identified as deaf or hard of hearing, enrolled in early intervention services by 6 months of age.
Our staff is able to support and help parents and health care providers throughout the process of newborn hearing screening and follow up services. Please contact one of our parent consultants for any questions regarding newborn hearing screening or follow up services.
Audiology Facilities That Test Infants
This list was compiled from a survey sent to audiologists by the Indiana Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (EHDI) to help families and professionals in finding diagnostic audiology testing for infants. The facilities were ranked by equipment available for infant audiologic testing as recommended by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) and the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM) and reported by survey responses. Comprehensive (formerly Level 1) facilities have the recommended equipment to provide comprehensive diagnostic audiology services for newborns after they do not pass newborn hearing screenings. Limited (formerly Level 2) facilities also provide diagnostic assessment, but are without one piece of the recommended equipment and therefore provide limited diagnostic audiology services.
**Facilities that provide sedated ABR testing
- Central Region
Hear Indiana
4740 Kingsway Dr. Suite 33
Indianapolis, IN 46205
(317) 828-0211
fax: (888) 887-0932Ascension Fishers Hospital Rehab**
13914 Southeastern parkway
Suite 206
Fishers, IN 46037
(317) 415-9260
fax: (317) 415-9264Balance point **
5255 East Stop 11 Rd
Suite 405
Indianapolis, IN 46237
(317) 807-0744
fax: (317) 807-1359Riley Hospital IU Health **
705 Riley Hospital Dr. Ste 0860
Indianapolis, IN 46202
(317) 962-9830
fax: (317) 962-9834Pediatric Ear, Nose, & Throat Clinic **
Peyton Manning Children's Hospital
8402 Harcourt Rd. Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46260
(317) 338-6815
fax: (317) 338-6582Ascension Rehabilitation Clinic **
14828 Greyhound Court, Suite 150
Carmel, IN 46032
(317) 582-9029
fax: (317) 582-9037 - West Central Region
Purdue University
715 Clinic Dr.
Lyles-Porter Hall
West Lafayette, IN 47907
(765) 494-4229
fax: (765) 494-0771Witham Health Services
Frankfort and Crawfordsville
2705 N. Lebanon St. Suite 355
North Pavilion, Entrance B
Lebanon, IN 46052
(765) 485-8687
fax: (765) 485-8689UMG Clinic
Audiology Department
1429 N 6th St.
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 234-3788
fax: (812) 231-4742 - East Central Region
Reid Hearing Center
1434 Chester Blvd
Richmond, IN 47374
(765) 935-4477
fax: (765) 939-0007Advanced Hearing Care
1827 N Madison Ave, Suite C
Anderson, IN 46011
(765) 608-3277
fax: (765) 608-3278Ball State University Audiology Clinic
1613 W Riverside Ave HPB 254
Muncie, IN 47306
(765) 285-8160
fax: (765) 285-5623 - Northwest Region
Community Hospital at Sandridge Professional Center
9046 A Columbia Ave
Munster, IN 46321
(219) 703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6776Franciscan Physician Network**
Coolspring Health Center
1225 E. Coolspring Ave.
Michigan City, IN 46360
(219) 873-2992
fax: (219) 878-5052Community Hospital
St. John Outpatient Center
9660 Wicker Ave
2nd Floor
St. John, IN 46373
(219) 703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6776St. Catherine Hospital**
4321 Fir Street
2nd Floor
East Chicago, IN 46312
(219) 703-2460
fax: (219) 703-6776Franciscan Health-Dyer
24 Joliet Street
Dyer, IN 46311
(219) 864-2004
fax: (219) 864-2217South Bend Clinic **
211 N Eddy St
South Bend, IN 46617
(574) 204-6184
fax: (574) 237-9383Franciscan Health-Hammond
5454 Hohman Ave.
Hammond, IN 46320
(219) 864-2004
fax: (219) 864-2217Northwest Medical Group
ENT 2802 Leonard Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383
(219)531-0355
fax: (219) 531-2855Beacon Medical Group
ENT & Audiology- South Bend
100 Navarre Place Suite 4460
South Bend, IN 46601
(574) 235-1010
fax: (574) 232-2064Give Hear
808 N 3rd St
Goshen, IN 46528
(260) 602-3276
fax: (260) 444-3656 - Northeast Region
Parkview Pediatric Rehabilitation
3439 Hobson Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
(260) 373-7925
fax: (260) 373-7929Hometown Hearing and Audiology
225 E. Main St.
North Manchester, IN 46962
(260) 306-3444
fax: (260) 306-3777Ear, Nose, & Throat Associates **
The Hearing Center
10021 Dupont Circle Ct.
Fort Wayne, IN 46825
(260) 459-6924
fax: (260) 416-0347Give Hear
130 W Main Street, Ste. 150
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
(260) 602-3276
fax: (260) 444-3656Beacon Medical Group Specialties **
1753 Fulton Street
Elkhart, IN 46514
(574) 293-9448
fax: (574) 293-9480Family Hearing Center, Inc.
123 N. Center St.
Bremen, IN 46506
(574) 533-2222
fax: (574) 533-6868Family Hearing Center, Inc.
2134 College Ave.
Goshen, IN 46528
(574) 533-2222
fax: (574) 533-6868 - Southwest Region
Easter Seals Rehabilitation Ctr.
3701 Bellemeade Ave.
Evansville, IN 47714
(812) 479-1411
fax: (812) 437-2636Indiana University Hearing Clinic
2631 East Discovery Parkway
Bloomington, IN 47408
(812) 855-7439
fax: (866) 981-1874The Hearing Doctor, LLC
671 3rd Ave. A2
Jasper, IN 47546
(812) 482-9444
fax: (812) 671-9694Memorial Audiology Services
721 West 13th Street Suite 222
Jasper, IN 47546
(812) 996-0227
fax: (812) 996-0142 - Southeast Region
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Outpatient Green Township
5899 Harrison Ave MLC 6011
Cincinnati, OH 45248
(513) 636-4236
fax: (513) 803-1111Cincinnati Children's Hospital**
Outpatient Liberty Township
7777 Yankee Rd MLC 16064
Liberty Twp, OH 45044
(513) 636-4236
fax: (513) 803-1111Columbus Regional Health
3015 10th St Suite B
Columbus, IN 47201
(812) 376-5373 Opt 2
fax: (812) 375-3702Heuser Hearing Institute
117 East Kentucky St.
Louisville, KY 40203
(502) 584-3573
fax: (502) 583-6364Flex Audiology
401 W Eads Pkwy Suite 410
Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
(812) 532-3011
fax: (812) 650-7550Norton's Children's Audiology
411 East Chestnut Street Suite 685
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 588-9587
fax: (502) 588-9580Little Ears Hearing Center at
Open Arms Children's Health
1100 E. Market Street
Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 596-1135
fax: (502) 596-1422
Additional Pediatric Audiology Providers
- Central Region
Hendricks Regional Health -ENT
100 Hospital Lane Suite 220
Danville, IN 46122
(317) 745-3758
fax: (317) 745-3749Ascension Anderson
2101 Jackson St. Suite 116
Anderson, IN 46016
(765) 646-8172
fax: (765) 646-8412 - Northwest Region
Franciscan Physician Network
Family Wellness Audiology
9800 Valparaiso Dr.
Munster, IN 46321
(219) 934-9845
fax: (219) 934-9846Indiana University Health Arnett
2600 Greenbush St.
Lafayette, IN 47904
(765) 838-7580
fax: (765) 448-7625Memorial Logansport Hospital
Memorial Hospital - Logansport Surgical Services
105 Michigan Ave., Suite 125
Logansport, IN 46947
(574) 753-2222
fax: (574) 753-0522 - Northeast Region
Cameron Memorial Hospital
Cameron ENT
306 East Maumel Street Suite 303
Angola, IN 46703
(260) 667-5773
fax: (260) 667-5564 - Southeast Region
Decatur Co. Memorial Hospital
720 N. Lincoln St.
Greensburg, IN 47240
(812) 663-1119
fax: (812) 663-1324Doctors Hearing Care
3211 Grant Line Rd, Ste 37
New Albany, IN 47150
(812) 949-3272
fax: (812) 949-3271
Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions regarding Newborn Hearing Screenings (Spanish)
- How Hearing Loss is Diagnosed In Infants/Children
- Hearing Loss Descriptions
- Services for Children with Hearing Loss
- Family Resources
- Risk Factors For Hearing Loss
- Genetics and Hearing Loss
- Comprehensive and Limited Audiology Provider Facilities
- IDEAL Parent Support for Language Acquisition
- IDEAL Language Milestones for English and American Sign Language
- IDEAL General Language Development
- IDEAL Ensuring Auditory Accessibility
- Speech and Hearing Developmental Milestones (Spanish)
- Talk to Me - set me up for SUCCESS!