Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)
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Minnesota Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (EHDI)
EHDI Program Overview
In 2007, Minnesota Statute section 144.966 mandated the reporting of newborn hearing screening results and added hearing loss to the panel of more than 50 rare conditions for which every newborn in Minnesota is screened unless parents opt-out. Children who are deaf and hard of hearing who are identified and provided access to language early (with the goal by six months of age) are more likely to meet language milestones typical of other children their age. The Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program at MDH evaluates outcomes and ensures culturally appropriate resources and services are available for children with a confirmed hearing loss and their families. The MDH EHDI Program works towards the established MN EHDI Goals, Indicators and Benchmarks.
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2025 Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Conference
March 9-11, 2025, Pittsburgh PA
2025 Early Childhood Education Summit
April 3-5, 2025, Faribault, MN
Components and partners of the MN EHDI system
MDH recognizes that everyone has their own unique identity, and we respect the terms people want to use to identify themselves. People may self-identify as deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, a person with hearing loss, DeafPlus, a person with a hearing difference, DeafDisabled, etc. MDH often uses “deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing,” in an all-inclusive manner. MDH might also use the term “hearing loss” when talking about a medical diagnosis.
The Newborn Hearing Screening Advisory Committee is intended to function in an advisory capacity to the MDH program managers in Newborn Screening, the Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (CYSHN) subject areas and, ultimately, to the Commissioner of Health. Members of the advisory committee include parents of children with hearing loss, advocates with expertise in issues affecting people who are deaf and hard of hearing, health care providers, hospital representatives, and other medical and education experts.
Minnesota’s EHDI program is a stakeholder in the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, Deafblind & Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH) Collaborative Plan. The Collaborative Plan is a network of agencies, schools, and organizations that work together to create positive, systemic changes to achieve better education and career outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing.
This video is one of five Impact Stories featured by the Collaborative Plan partnership:
Minnesota has developed guidelines to assist providers through each stage of the EHDI process. For additional provider specific resources, visit Early Hearing Detection and Intervention: For Providers.
- Guidelines for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in the Well Baby Nursery
- Guidelines for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening in the NICU
- Guidelines for Universal Newborn Hearing Screening for Out-of-Hospital Births
- Guidelines for Otolaryngologists
- Guidelines for Primary Care and Medical Home Providers
- Guidelines for Infant Audiologic Assessment
- Audiology Guidelines for Infants with Congenital Cytomegalovirus (PDF)
- Guidelines for Pediatric Amplification
- Guidelines for Audiologist Referral to Early Intervention, Medical Specialties and Connection to Parent-to-Parent and Family Support
- Guidelines for Hearing Screening After the Newborn Period to Kindergarten Age
Screening Resources for After the Newborn Period:
- Hearing Screening Training Manual for use in Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC), Early Childhood Screening, Head Start, and school-based programs
- Otoscopy and Tympanometry Manual for use in Child and Teen Checkups (C&TC), Early Childhood Screening, Head Start, and school-based programs
EHDI programs work toward these important 1-3-6 goals:
- Before one month of age: hearing screening for all infants
- Before three months of age: comprehensive hearing evaluation (diagnostic testing with audiology) for children who do not pass screening
- Before six months of age: enrollment in early intervention for children identified as deaf and hard of hearing
Learn more about national goals and data here:
- 2019 Joint Committee on Infant Hearing Position Statement
- Supplement to the JCIH 2007 Position Statement: Principles and Guidelines for Early Intervention After Confirmation That a Child Is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
- CDC's Progress in Detecting Infant Hearing Loss (PDF)
- CDC Annual Data for EHDI
- NCHAM: A Resource Guide for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention
- Gallaudet University National Beacon Center for Early Language System Accountability and Data
Minnesota newborn hearing screening data
1,145 (1.8%*) babies who completed newborn hearing screening in 2022 received a “did not pass” (also called a “refer”) on their most recent screen. Babies can be screened multiple times, but if a baby receives a “did not pass” result, that means they require further diagnostic testing with an audiologist to see if they are hearing everything well.
Of the newborns that received a “did not pass” result in 2022, 166 (14.5%) were then diagnosed with hearing loss upon further testing. After being diagnosed with hearing loss, 104 (62.7%) were enrolled in early intervention (EI).
| Count | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Total births in 2022* | 62,623 | 100.0% |
| Never screened | 321 | 0.5% |
| Total screened | 62,287 | 99.5% |
| Did not pass screening | 1,145 | 1.8% |
| Typical hearing | 518 | 45.2% |
| No diagnosis | 461 | 40.3% |
| Hearing loss | 166 | 14.5% |
| Enrolled in EI | 104 | 62.7% |
| Not enrolled in EI | 13 | 7.8% |
| EI enrollment unknown | 49 | 29.5% |
*excludes infants who are deceased or whose parent(s) declined screening.
Newborn hearing screening data is reported to CDC according to their definitions. Past data from Minnesota and other states can be found at CDC’s Data on Hearing Loss in Children webpage.