From the moment the pregnancy test comes back positive, our responsibilities as parents begin. While we have many hopes and dreams for what our children will one day become, all parents share the same universal wish – for happy and healthy children.

The first year as parents flies by in a flurry of round-the-clock feedings, diaper changes, first coos and smiles and keeping the closet stocked with clothes that Baby will grow out of in a matter of weeks. But because all babies are different and that first year is so hectic, many parents don't notice potential behavioral and developmental problems in their children until the toddler years begin.

"A child's development is impacted long before they're even born," says Dr. Elizabeth Nelsen, a clinical adjunct instructor in the Department of Pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. "Maternal health has a significant impact on a child's development prior to birth. Things like nutrition and complications from hypertension and gestational diabetes, to name a few, could potentially alter a child's future development."

The good news is that as of 2005, 37 states had statutes related to universal newborn hearing screening, Nelsen says. "This means that at some point prior to discharge, all babies are required to have a hearing screen performed," she says. "The exact method and procedures vary with each state."

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