| Sean was only 36 hours old, and as this 8 pound, 6 | | | | I visited this research institute that focused on |
| ounce infant slept, his hearing was being tested. He | | | | hearing to see this procedure, which can allow |
| was taken by an audiologist to a testing station with | | | | children with hearing issues to have a head start on |
| a personal computer that looked perfectly ordinary | | | | the problems that they will encounter in life. Over |
| except that it had some wires attached to it. The | | | | 4,000 children are born in the United States |
| audiologist then hit a few buttons on the keypad and | | | | profoundly deaf and another 24,000 newborns being |
| gently inserted a tiny probe into the baby's ear, | | | | born with at least some level of hearing loss each |
| which led to the computer by one of these wires. | | | | year. The procedure that I observed was the OAE |
| The monitor appeared with a complex, multi-colored | | | | test that is used very soon after birth to detect |
| graphics display. Read this site if you want digital | | | | hearing problems. |
| hearing aids information. | | | | |