Often, hearing loss is not diagnosed in children until they are 2 to 3 years old and are not speaking properly, Dr. Ziring said.
Children learn language by exposure to language.
And without some kind of exposure, it's hard to catch up,'' she said. Hearing loss is more frequent than other disorders now tested at birth, Dr. Herrmann said. Hearing impairment occurs in 4 of 1,000 births, yet screening is required in only 10 states. Meanwhile, babies are routinely checked for the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria, or PKU, which occurs in one 1 of 16,000 births. Screening for hearing is non-invasive and painless.