American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Utah Hearing Screening Requirements for Newborns and School-Aged Children



Newborn Screening


Each newborn infant shall be tested for hearing loss.


Institutions or persons primarily responsible for births shall provide information about newborn hearing screening to parents and primary care providers of newborns. This shall include:

  1. information, which shall be available to parents at the time of birth, about the purpose of newborn hearing screening, the procedures used for screening, the benefits of newborn hearing screening, and the consequences of hearing loss;
  2. whether each live birth was screened prior to discharge from the institution;
  3. the results of the completed newborn hearing screening procedure;
  4. what follow-up screening procedures, if any, are recommended and where those procedures can be obtained.

For babies who require additional procedures to complete the screening after being discharged from the birthing institution, the institution shall provide parents and the primary care providers with written notice about the availability and importance of the additional screening procedures.

For babies who do not pass the complete newborn hearing screening procedure, the institution or the provider who completes the screening procedure shall provide the parents and the primary care provider with written notice about the results of the screening, recommended diagnostic procedures, where those procedures can be obtained, and resources available for infants and toddlers with hearing loss.

For babies who need additional procedures to complete the screening due to a missed test, inconclusive results, or a failure to pass, and who do not return for the needed screening procedures within 15 days, or for babies who are "lost to follow-up," the institution shall make reasonable efforts within 30 days to locate the parents and inform them of the need for a test. To be considered a reasonable effort, the institution must have documentation of at least two attempts to contact the infant's parents by mail or phone, and at least one attempt to contact the infant's primary care provider. If necessary, the institution must use information available from its own records, adoption agencies, and the newborn's primary care provider. Contact with the parent may be made by mail, telephone, primary care provider, or public health worker.


Tests for hearing loss shall be based on one or more methods approved by the Newborn Hearing Screening Committee, including:

  1. auditory brainstem response;
  2. automated auditory brainstem response; and
  3. evoked otoacoustic emissions.


All institutions or persons in attendance at births shall submit information to the Department of Health about the newborn hearing screening procedures being used, the results of the screening, and other information necessary to ensure timely referral where necessary. This information shall be provided to the Department of Health at least monthly. This information shall include:

  1. for each live birth, identifying information for the baby and the hearing screening status, e.g., passed, referred, refused, missed, transferred;
  2. for babies who did not pass the newborn hearing screening or who were not screened, the mother's name, address, telephone number if known, and primary care provider;
  3. any information the institution or practitioner has about the results of follow-up screening or diagnostic procedures, including whether the infant has been "lost to follow-up."

School-Age Screening

Ages/Populations Screened

Ages and populations screened is not addressed by laws/regulations.

Who Can Screen

A local school board may use teachers or licensed registered nurses to conduct examinations required and licensed physicians as needed for medical consultation related to those examinations.

Training for Screeners

Qualified health professionals shall provide instructions, equipment, and materials for conducting the examinations.

Type of Testing

Types of testing are not addressed by laws/regulations.

Equipment Standards

Equipment standards are not addressed by laws/regulations.

Follow-up Protocols & Documentation

The school shall notify, in writing, a student's parent or guardian of any impairment disclosed by the examinations.


For further information on hearing screening requirements, visit these websites:


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