Finding out a child is deaf can be very difficult for families, and
deciding what to do can be tough. Although there is no way to restore
natural hearing, promising treatment options may help a child to hear. A variety of causes can lead to hearing loss in infants. Babies born
prematurely are at a higher risk for hearing loss than other infants.
Some infections during pregnancy may lead to hearing problems in babies.
For unknown reasons, the structure of the ear may not develop normally
early in pregnancy.
Although testing can identify some causes of hearing loss, determining
why an individual child has hearing loss is not always possible. Right now, there are few clinical trials designed to treat or cure newborn hearing loss.