If your baby was born in the hospital, they should have had their newborn hearing screening before going home. This newborn screening is very important to identify if your baby has access to sound. If your baby passed this screening, you more than likely do not need to follow up with a pediatric audiologist (unless recemented by your baby's pediatrician, or  you have concerns with your baby's speech or language development). Hearing testing can be done at any age, and if you have concerns with your child's speech development, an additional hearing test should be conducted before therapy starts.

If your child did not pass, or was referred, on the newborn hearing screening, it is very important to follow up with an outpatient hearing screening, and/or a pediatric audiologist for accurate diagnosis. Do not let well-meaning relatives or physicians tell you to ‘wait and see what happens’. 

​If you were not given the results of your baby’s hearing screening in the hospital, and/or you are not sure if your baby was screened, contact your hospital and ask whether your child was screened or not. Make sure you get the results of the screen in writing and talk to someone who can explain the results to you.

​If you had a homebirth, or a birthing center birth, it is still important to have this screening done. You can call your local hospital to set up an appointment, or check with your child's pediatrician. 

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If you are still not sure who to call, contact Leanne Glenn, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, at 303-692-2603 or leanne.glenn@state.co.us.  

​We know this process can be confusing, and sometimes, scary. This is why we have created the Roadmap for Families. This document can help you with this 1-3-6 model (shown on the right), and connect you to resources all around the state. Don't forget to look at the INTERACTIVE Roadmap, to help answer questions you may have.