We test children's hearing from birth. Babies have OAE and BERA, which need no response from the child. Toddlers play a listening game. BERA is usually done in natural sleep, at our Electronic City Phase 1 and Phase 2 centres.
Children learn to talk by listening, and the first three years matter most. This is the timeline to aim for.
Many babies go home without one. Check the discharge papers for "pass" or "refer". No record, or a "refer"? Book a test with us.
The first three years are when the brain is most ready to learn language, and a child who cannot hear well during that time falls behind without anyone noticing. A baby with hearing loss still coos and smiles, so it is easy to miss.
Children who get support by 6 months have the best chance of speech on par with their friends. If your child is older, testing now is still worth it. There is no age at which it becomes too late to help.
Where screening is done under the government's child health programme (RBSK), it uses OAE. Ask your hospital whether your baby was screened and what the result was.
One missed milestone is no cause for alarm. If two fit, or your instinct says something is off, get a test.
| Age | What to watch for |
|---|---|
| Birth to 3 months | Does not startle at a sudden loud sound, or does not settle to your voice. |
| 3 to 6 months | Does not turn eyes or head towards a sound, or does not coo and make vowel sounds. |
| 6 to 12 months | Does not babble "ba-ba" or "ma-ma", or does not respond to their name. |
| 12 to 18 months | No single words yet, or does not follow simple words like "come" or "bye-bye". |
| 18 months to 2 years | Fewer than about 20 words, or does not point to things you name. |
| 2 to 5 years | Speech is hard to understand, TV turned up, often says "what?", or struggles in a noisy classroom. |
Children are at higher risk if they spent time in neonatal intensive care, were born early, had jaundice that needed treatment, had meningitis, or have a parent or sibling with childhood hearing loss. These children should be tested even if they passed a newborn screen.
None of them hurt. Babies do not need to respond; older children play a game.
| Test | Best age | What it shows | How it feels |
|---|---|---|---|
| OAE | Newborns and babies | Whether the inner ear sends back an echo. A screen. | Soft tip in the ear, a few minutes per ear |
| BERA (ABR) | Babies, high-risk children, children who can't play-test | Softest sound heard in each ear; ear or nerve | Stickers on the head, done in deep sleep |
| Behavioural | 6 months to 2½ years | Whether your baby turns towards sounds | Toys or lights reward each turn |
| Play audiometry | 2½ to 5 years | A full audiogram, ear by ear and pitch by pitch | Drop a block in a bucket at each beep |
| Tympanometry | Any age | Fluid behind the eardrum (glue ear) | A quick pressure check of the eardrum |
Keep your baby awake on the way, then feed them when you arrive so they sleep. Bring a feed and a blanket.
OAE stands for otoacoustic emissions. A healthy inner ear makes a tiny echo when a soft sound reaches it. We place a soft tip in your baby's ear canal and play gentle clicks, and a small microphone listens for the echo. It does not hurt, and works best when the baby is calm or asleep.
A "pass" means the inner ear is working. A "refer" means we did not pick up a clear echo. That is not a diagnosis. In newborns it often comes from fluid or debris in the ear, a noisy room or a baby who would not settle. We repeat the OAE, and if it still does not pass, we move to BERA.
BERA (brainstem evoked response audiometry, also called ABR) measures the hearing nerve and brainstem responding to sound. We clean small spots on your baby's forehead and behind the ears, place soft stickers called electrodes, and play clicks and tones through tiny earphones. A computer records the brain's response.
Because it needs nothing from the child, BERA can estimate the softest sound a baby hears in each ear, and whether the problem is in the ear or the nerve. It is used to confirm a failed screen, for babies at higher risk, and for children who cannot do play tests. It takes longer than OAE, so it works best in deep sleep.
Bring anything that helps your baby settle. If an older child cannot settle, we will talk through the options with you and your child's doctor.
From around 6 months, we watch how a baby turns towards sounds, using toys or lights as a reward. From about two and a half, your child holds a block and drops it in a bucket every time they hear a beep. It gives the same kind of audiogram an adult gets. Most children enjoy it. If your child is shy, we go slowly and you stay in the room.
Many young children have fluid behind the eardrum after a cold, often called glue ear. It can muffle hearing for weeks, and is a common reason a toddler seems to hear one day and not the next. Tympanometry checks for it. If we find fluid or signs of an infection, we refer you to an ENT doctor, who treats it, and we retest hearing once the ear has cleared.
Typical BERA prices, not Poorvam's. Sources: 1mg Labs BERA listing (updated October 2026) and Deccan Herald reporting on Bengaluru private hospitals. We could not find a reliable current private price for OAE.
Not talking yet, or not turning when called? These signs overlap. A hearing test answers one question in one visit.
Our sister centre Poorvam Care assesses speech, language and development, and offers therapy across Electronic City.
A child may not respond because they cannot hear, because their speech and language are developing slowly, or because of a developmental difference such as autism. Sometimes more than one is true.
A hearing test is the right first step because it is quick and gives a clear answer. If hearing is the cause, we can start support straight away. If hearing is normal, you have ruled out one cause and can move on with confidence.
We explain the result the same visit, in plain words, with a printed report.
Both centres see children: Phase 1 on Hulimangla Road and Phase 2 in Ananth Nagar. Adults in the family can book a hearing test at the same visit.
Same team, same equipment, same hours at both. Pick whichever is closer.
Hulimangla Road, near Sai Mandir Temple, above RxDx Multi Speciality, Hulimangala, Bengaluru 560105
Mon–Sat, 9:30 am – 6:30 pm. Sunday closed.
Lift available. Home visits available.
Closest for Hulimangla, Neeladri Nagar, Doddathoguru, Konappana Agrahara.
Ananth Nagar, above Bata showroom, opp. Udupi Aaradhya restaurant, Bengaluru 560100
Mon–Sat, 9:30 am – 6:30 pm. Sunday closed.
Upstairs, reached by stairs. There is no lift. Home visits available.
Closest for Ananth Nagar, Hebbagodi, Bommasandra, Chandapura.
Ideally before one month of age. The widely used 1-3-6 guideline says: screen by 1 month, confirm any hearing loss by 3 months, and start support by 6 months. If your baby was not screened at the hospital, or was told to repeat the screen, book a test now. It is never too late.
OAE checks whether the inner ear sends back a tiny echo when a soft sound goes in. It takes a few minutes and works as a screen. BERA (also called ABR) records the hearing nerve and brainstem responding to sound through small stickers on the head. It takes longer, estimates how much a baby hears, and is used to confirm a result.
Published prices for BERA in Indian cities run from about ₹1,800 to ₹4,000, and private hospitals in Bengaluru charge about ₹4,000. Call or WhatsApp us for our current fee for OAE, BERA and play audiometry.
Usually not. BERA is usually done while the baby sleeps naturally, so we ask you to time the visit around a nap or feed. If an older child cannot settle, we will talk through the options with you and your child's doctor.
No. Newborn hearing screening is not mandatory in Karnataka, so many babies go home without one. The government child health programme (RBSK) uses OAE where screening is done. Ask your hospital whether your baby was screened and what the result was.
It can be either, both, or neither, and a hearing test is the first step because it rules hearing in or out in one visit. If hearing is normal and you are still worried about speech, attention or play, our sister centre Poorvam Care assesses speech and development.
Not necessarily. Fluid or debris in a newborn's ear, a noisy room or a baby who would not settle can all cause a "refer" result. Most babies who refer turn out to hear normally. But the only way to know is a repeat OAE and, if needed, BERA, so do not skip the follow-up.
OAE, BERA and play audiometry at both Electronic City centres. You get the result explained the same day.
