Children with CP may have some level of hearing impairment. While it’s not always clear why this happens, some possible causes include oxygen restriction to the brain during development, infections or low birth weight. It can also be due to genetic variations.

Because CP may not be diagnosed until three months of age, getting an early assessment of your child’s hearing is important. Hearing impairment can be present at birth or soon after your baby is born, or it can develop later.

All Australian states and territories have a universal newborn hearing program to check babies for hearing impairments. This can be done while they are settled or asleep.

The program aims to:

• screen the hearing of all babies by one month of age
• refer any babies with possible hearing impairment for diagnostic testing with an audiologist by three months of age to confirm hearing impairment
• start early intervention for babies with hearing impairment by six months of age.

Most hospitals will test your baby’s hearing before you take them home. However, because it isn’t compulsory, you must give your permission for your baby to be tested and sign a consent form.

Because hearing impairment can happen over time, as your child grows, it is important to have their hearing tested any time you believe they are not responding to your voice or other sounds in expected ways. This can include failing to react or wake to loud noises, or not being soothed by the sound of a comforting voice.

At nine months, babies tend to begin babbling and reflecting sounds that parents make, such as ‘bub bub bub’ and ‘mum mum mum’. If your baby has a hearing impairment, this may be delayed.

If you have any concerns about your child’s hearing before they start pre-school, this is also an important time to have them tested, as hearing impairment can slow down their ability to learn effectively.

Hearing impairment does not mean your child is deaf. There are many types of impairment — some are temporary, caused by an inner ear infection or too much ear wax, some are treatable with medication, and others are correctable with surgery.

There are two main types of hearing impairment:

• Conductive hearing loss includes anything that stops sound from travelling from outside the ear to inside the ear, such as wax, inner ear infections, inflammation or a build-up of fluid in the middle ear caused by infection.
• Sensorineural hearing loss is due to damage to the structures or nerves of the inner ear. This can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. It is usually lifelong and may worsen over time.

Mixed hearing impairment involves both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

If at any time you’re concerned about your child’s hearing or development, please talk to your GP, maternal and child health nurse or a pediatrician.

In the below section, you will find more information related to hearing and relevant therapies and interventions.