The National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on early identification of hearing impairment was convened to address the advantages of early identification of hearing impairment and the consequences of late identification of hearing impairment. Among their findings, the panel concluded that 1) all infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit be screened for hearing loss prior to discharge; 2) universal screening be implemented for all infants within the first 3 months of life; 3) the preferred model for screening should begin with an evoked otoacoustic emissions test and should be followed by an auditory brainstem response test for all infants who fail the evoked otoacoustic emissions test; 4) comprehensive intervention and management programs must be an integral part of a universal screening program; 5) universal neonatal screening should not be a replacement for ongoing surveillance throughout infancy.