Hearing tests in babies

I decided to join the development group for our class presentations. While searching for information, I came across a couple websites that I found rather interesting on how they test babies for hearing, even though they aren't able to speak yet. Hearing loss can affect a child's ability to develop speech, hearing, and social skills so it is crucial for babies to be tested at an early age. Most states require hospitals to test babies for hearing before they are able leave the hospital after birth. If a baby fails the initial hearing test, they are required to go to a follow up hearing test. This does not necessarily mean your child is deaf or has hearing problems, in fact, between 2 and 10% of babies fail their first hearing test. If a baby is confirmed to have hearing problems, further testing will be performed to identify the reason.
      More than 50% of hearing loss is caused by genetics and only 25% of hearing loss is caused by environmental factors such as an infection the mother developed during pregnancy or it can be caused due to complications during actual birth. It is important to recognize the signs of hearing loss in babies. If a baby has hearing loss issues they may not startle at loud noises, turn to the source of a sound, say simple words by the age of 1, and will not turn their head when you say his or her name. Below is a link of a general hearing test, audiologists may perform on babies.