This document presents the consensus statement of a 2-day conference which addressed issues concerned with the early identification of hearing impairment. The conference resulted in the following consensus conclusions: (1) all infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit should be screened for hearing loss prior to discharge; (2) universal screening should 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 and early childhood; and (6) education of primary caregivers and primary health care providers on the early signs of hearing impairment is essential. Also included in this document are the recommendations of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders concerning acceptable protocols in statewide universal newborn hearing screening programs. These recommendations urge use of screening which involves a physiologic response implemented with objective response criteria. (DB)