Newborn Screening

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Newborn screening is done shortly after your baby’s birth to test for treatable diseases that do not usually show any signs in the newborn period. Finding babies with these diseases early allows them to receive the treatment they need to prevent serious health problems in the future.

Newborn Screening Ontario is involved in four different types of newborn screening: dried blood spot, critical congenital heart disease, biliary atresia, and hearing screening.

Dried Blood Spot (DBS) Screening

A dried blood spot sample is obtained using a heel-prick, where a small amount of blood is collected from all babies between 24-48 hours after birth. In Ontario, this blood is sent to Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) where it is tested for several serious, yet treatable, diseases. With these rare diseases, early detection is the key to effective treatment. For more information dried blood spot screening, please visit Newborn Screening Ontario.

Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) Screening

Screening for CCHD is also offered to babies in Ontario. This is a quick and painless test called pulse oximetry that measures the level of oxygen in a baby’s blood. This test is done at the bedside and results are available right away. CCHD screening is usually performed 24-48 hours after birth. For more information, please visit Newborn Screening Ontario.

Hearing Screening

The Ontario Infant Hearing Program (IHP) offers screening for all newborns in hospital and community settings. Hearing screening finds babies who are at high risk for hearing loss and should have more in-depth testing. Children with hearing loss may hear some sounds but miss others, making it harder to learn speech and language. This can lead to behavioural and learning problems. Interventions, supports and services are available for babies with permanent hearing loss to help them achieve the best possible outcomes. For more information, please visit Newborn Screening Ontario.

Universal newborn hearing screening includes physiologic screening, which is done by measuring the ear or brain’s response to soft sounds played in a baby’s ear, and hearing loss risk factor screening, which involves screening the dried blood spot collected by Newborn Screening Ontario, for congenital cytomegalovirus and common variants in some hearing loss genes.

Biliary Atresia (BA)

Pale-coloured poop is often an early sign of a liver disease called biliary atresia. Parents/guardians screen for biliary atresia by monitoring their baby’s poop during the first month of life using an infant stool colour card (ISCC). If you have concerns that your baby has abnormal pale stool, you can contact Newborn Screening Ontario directly to get help.