If a baby’s newborn screening result is positive or “out-of-range,” the baby’s health care provider or the state newborn screening program will notify parents and provide instructions for the follow-up testing process.

Follow up with the baby’s healthcare provider immediately

Some infants with out-of-range results do end up having a treatable condition. Finding and treating these conditions at an early age can often prevent serious problems, such as brain damage, organ damage, and even death. It is very important to follow the healthcare provider or state public health program’s instructions quickly and carefully.

Don’t panic!

It is important to remember that an out-of-range screening result does not mean that a child has the condition. In fact, most babies with out-of-range newborn screens are healthy and have follow-up test results within the normal range.

Confirmatory testing must be performed to determine whether or not the child has the condition

Newborn screening identifies babies who may have a condition so that confirmatory testing can be offered to find out if the condition is truly present. The baby’s health care provider may perform the confirmatory diagnostic testing or they will refer to a specialist clinic.

Possible results include:

• A False Positive
• A True Positive
• Carrier Identification