Before the IHP, there were only a few hearing screening programs for infants in Ontario. Those programs focused mostly on infants who were considered to be at risk for hearing impairment, including those with a family history of hearing loss, very low birth weight, or any of several other medical conditions.

However, many children with hearing impairment are not known to be at risk. Children are sometimes not identified even up until they enter school. This failure to detect hearing impairment early can result in significant delays in speech and language development, which in turn affects a child's readiness for school and relationships with family and friends.

Now that the IHP is in place, newborns are screened before leaving the hospital or shortly thereafter. For some infants, a detailed hearing assessment is required and this can be completed within the first few months of life.

Identifying hearing loss in infants as early as possible is important for several reasons:

• It reduces the delay in learning language
• It improves the family's ability to communicate with their child
• IHP services help inform and support parents so that they can make the best decisions possible for their baby