Hearing is fundamental to language development, social bonding, and cognitive growth. Neonatal Hearing Interventions focus on early detection, timely diagnosis, and rapid initiation of support to optimise communication outcomes for newborns. This session highlights screening models, diagnostic tools, intervention options, and long-term developmental considerations.

Clinicians increasingly attend an Neonatology Conference to understand innovations in screening algorithms, ABR diagnostics, otoacoustic emissions testing, and risk-based follow-up pathways. This session reviews universal newborn hearing screening programmes, criteria for rescreening, referral workflows, and how to manage infants who miss early screening opportunities. Participants will explore congenital, genetic, syndromic, infectious, and NICU-related risk factors for hearing loss.

A major focus is designing effective pediatric hearing intervention pathways that ensure infants identified with hearing impairment receive timely audiologic evaluation, amplification, cochlear-implant pathways, early-intervention referral, and caregiver education. Case scenarios illustrate how delays—whether clinical, administrative, or family-related—can significantly affect language trajectories. The session emphasises family-centred communication, cultural considerations, and supporting parents as partners in decision-making.

Attendees will explore long-term developmental follow-up, including speech-language therapy, educational accommodations, and emotional wellbeing. The session also examines global disparities in hearing-screening access and strategies for implementing cost-effective, scalable programmes in low-resource settings. By the end, participants will gain practical insights into early detection and advanced intervention strategies that shape lifelong developmental outcomes.