What to know
This resource aims to help answer common questions that families may have about the genetic causes of hearing loss.
Background
About 1 in 500 infants are born with or develop hearing loss during early childhood. Screening for hearing loss is considered standard care in the United States and in 2021, approximately 98% of children were screened, usually before leaving the hospital. Hearing loss has many causes, including genetic causes (that is, caused by the instructions in the baby's cells) and non-genetic causes (such as certain infections the mother has during pregnancy or infections affecting the newborn baby). A combination of genetic and non-genetic factors also can lead to hearing loss. In general, 4 out of 5 babies (80%) with hearing loss have a genetic cause for their hearing loss, while the rest will have non-genetic cause or a combination of factors.
Download A Parent’s Guide to Genetics and Hearing Loss as PDF [PDF – 2 MB]
Table of contents
About the Types of Hearing Loss
About Genetics and Hearing Loss
Where Can I Find More Information?