Information On Different Types Of Hearing Evaluation Tests For Infants And Children

By Serena Price


For the physician to do a hearing evaluation on your child, he will have to perform a complete physical examination and medical history. Besides this, there are other various types of hearing tests that can also be used to examine your child ability to hear. Some of these tests can be used on every age while others are only meant for the specific age of the child and his level of understanding. Below are some of the tests and how they are used on different ages of children.

To start with, there are two types of tests used on newborns babes. These tests are used alone or be combined. Auditory brainstem response is the first one and is abbreviated as ABR. In these tests, wires are joined to the baby scalp using an adhesive. This test is preferably done when the baby is at sleep to avoid distraction. This test is mean t for measuring the brain activity of the baby in response to a clicking sound delivered into the ears of the baby through small earphones. The good thing with this test is that it is painless, and it takes just few minutes to complete it.

The second test used on a newborn is called evoked otoacoustic emissions abbreviated as EOAE. This test uses a small, flexible plug which is fitted in the ear of the baby. Through this plug, sound is sent. The plug has a microphone, which records the otoacoustic responses of the ear in reaction to the sounds produced. This test is also done when the baby is asleep and it is also painless.

One of the methods used on infants is referred to as behavioral audiometry. This method involving observation of the child behaviors in response to the sound they are subjected to. The doctor may also use a different additional test if need be.

Babies between the age of six months and two years usually use two tests. The first one is known as visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA). The child is taught to focus on a source of a produced sound. The child enjoys the test since it is formulated like a game that has a reward system in form of visible objects such as toys in motion or flashlights. Once the child makes the correct response, they are rewarded.

The second test used on toddler is known as play audiometry. This involves the use of electrical machine to relay sound at different pitches and volumes into the child ears. This test can be done in form of a game based on the child age group. In this test, a child is asked to operate a moving toy in reaction to the sound they hears. The bad thing with this test is the cooperation of the child which in most cases is not guaranteed.

Children who fall in the age bracket of 3 to 4 years are evaluated using Tympanometry test. This is also known as impendance audiometry. It is used to determine the functionality of the middle ear of the child. It is used for detecting any pressure change and not for examining the ability of a child to hear. When carrying out this test, a child should remain still without crying, moving or talking.

An addition test subjected to hearing evaluation in much older children is known as tone audiometry. Electrical equipment is utilized; it produces sounds that have different volume and pitches inside the Childs ear. The child is asked by use their hand in making a response once they hear a sound through an earphone in the equipment.




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