This is a report of the proceedings of a two-day conference called by the National Deaf Children's Society of England to assess the state of knowledge about deafness in children. It is by no means an exhaustive discussion of present knowledge and research needs but by the same token it is not exhausting. It provides a lively and stimulating summary of the state of the art with respect to two broad categories: causes of deafness and testing of hearing in very young children.