What do babies miss if they are born with even a mild hearing loss? Experts say that hearing acuity directly affects the development of speech and verbal language skills—and may also negatively affect social, emotional, cognitive and academic development.

Diagnosis and early intervention are critical during that first year for the child with any degree of loss. All babies born in hospitals in Arizona are screened for hearing loss.

Watch as a hearing screening specialist from Banner Desert Medical Center, just next door to Cardon Children's Medical Center, performs this screening on a new baby, less than 24 hours old.