Focus on team
In this section we get to know teams across our organisation. If you would
like your team featured here, contact [email protected]
Pictured: Above (from left): Professional Lead Audiology & Newborn Hearing Screening Erin Keach; Administration Support Candice Whitley; Newborn Hearing Screener
Jan Krause; Team Lead Audiology, Newborn Hearing Screening, Speech Language Therapy, Dietetics Robin Matthews; Senior Newborn Hearing Screener Margaret
Thompson; Newborn Hearing Screener Sally Bentley; Newborn Hearing Screener Carol Cheak; Newborn Hearing Screener Glenys Berry.
Newborn hearing
screeners celebrate
10 year anniversary
The Newborn Hearing Screening service of
five screeners and one administrator has
been operating since 2009, and screens
approximately 3,000 newborn babies each
year. The service is part of the national
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and
Early Intervention Programme.
“They are hardworking, caring, professional people and do
a wonderful job,” says Newborn Hearing Screening/Speech
Language Therapy/Dietetics Team Lead Robin Matthews.
“Hearing screening for newborns is not a particularly well-known
service but its crucial work for a child’s development. Early
identification and early intervention is critical for the prevention of
permanent hearing loss in any child which may have an issue.
“This anniversary is a celebration of the thousands of children the
team has helped over the past decade.”
BOPDHB Audiology and Newborn Hearing Screening Professional
Lead Erin Keach says,
“Before we had newborn hearing screening the average age of
identifying a hearing loss was 4 years old.
8
“We know that for brain and language development the most
critical time is the first two years. That means hearing loss was
being picked up too late in a lot of instances.
“Screening at an early age gives us time and the ability to intervene to
support these children with their hearing and language development,
with technology such as hearing aids or cochlear implants.”
Erin says locally, around 3-4 babies per 1000 screened are
ultimately identified as having a permanent hearing impairment (in
one or both ears).
The hearing screen is free of charge, completely non-invasive,
simple and safe. A piece of monitoring equipment with sensors on is
placed over the ear of the newborn. This plays a soft clicking noise
and the sensors measure how the auditory nerve responds to those.
The test, which lasts just a few minutes, is ideally undertaken within
the first month after birth. It is offered to all mums of newborns and
is performed when the baby is asleep and in a quiet environment –
so that no outside noises or stimuli affect the results.
Any baby that does not register a clear response on the first test
is tested again. If no clear response is given on the second test
either, the baby is referred to the audiology team. The audiology
team then carries out a full diagnostic hearing assessment and
gives ongoing treatment as necessary.
Newborn Hearing Screener Glenys Berry says it was “a very
satisfying feeling knowing the importance of the screening test and
what you’re potentially doing for the child”.
Newborn Hearing Screener Jan Krause says the ramifications of
hearing issues not being picked up could be profound.
“I read recently about an 8 year-old elsewhere in New Zealand
who had not had his hearing screening test. He had had lots
of issues at school, behavioural issues because of his hearing
problems. Teachers felt that he was misbehaving and was a
naughty child but it all stemmed from his hearing problems not
being properly picked up initially. It can have a massive impact on
a child’s life and development. The majority of people don’t know
how important this work is.”