ABSTRACT
Screening testing of young infants' hearing was initiated by the Ewings in England
in 1944, and variations of their tests were used in Europe and other countries for
many years. Efforts to screen newborns with noisemakers began shortly thereafter in
Japan, Sweden, and the United States. Universal newborn screening with electronic
sounds was introduced in Denver, Colorado, in 1964, but was discontinued after the
formation of the National Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. This Committee recommended
the use of a High Risk Register and in 1982 suggested that electrophysiologic techniques
be employed. These techniques had been available since the 1950s, with the advent
of the signal-averaging computer. In 1986, the first commercial automated auditory
brain stem-evoked response (ABR) instrument was developed, fostering the development
of universal newborn hearing screening. In the United States, with most of the states
having laws mandating universal screening, and the federal government also providing
support to the states, universal newborn screening is well on its way to becoming
a worldwide essential.
KEYWORD
Newborn screening - screening history
