Principles & Guidelines for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) activities beginning at the birth hearing screening and culminating in early intervention, have positively impacted outcomes for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families in the United States and world-wide. Universal newborn hearing screening has resulted in significantly lowering the average age of identification. Screening is a necessary first step, but does not ensure the next critical steps of timely identification and diagnosis of children who are deaf or hard of hearing, amplification, and referral to early intervention, all with the goal of promoting language development. This document was created by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing and distributed by the Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (JEHDI).