Testing for Infants & Children

At Professional Hearing and Speech  Center we specialize in evaluating infants and young children. We are experienced in making the evaluation procedure as pleasant as possible. The following are guidelines for development and answers to common questions.

After birth, the auditory behavior of infants follows a fairly typical set of developmental stages:
 

 

Hearing milestones your child should reach in the first year of life:
 
  • Most newborn infants startle or "jump" to sudden loud noises.
  • By 3 months, a baby usually recognizes a parent's voice.
  • By 6 months, an infant can usually turn his or her eyes or head toward a sound.
  • By 12 months, a child can usually imitate some sounds and produce a few words, such as "Mama" or "bye-bye."

It is important to keep in mind that regardless of your baby's age, there are safe, effective and accurate tests that can be used to determine how well your baby hears. Newborns often have their hearing screened in the hospital and if they do not pass the screening follow-up by an audiologist is strongly recommended. If your newborn does not pass the hearing screening it is important that they have a re-test within 3 months.

Kids who seem to have normal hearing, should continued to have their hearing evaluated on a regular basis at doctors’ appointments throughout life. Hearing tests are usually done at ages 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18, and at any other time if there’s a concern. But if you are concerned that your child seems to be having trouble hearing, or if their speech development seems abnormal or their speech is difficult to understand talk with your child’s doctor.

At Professional Hearing and Speech Center we are skilled in evaluating infants, children, the developmentally delayed and the difficult to test. We will guide you through every step of the evaluation and rehabilitation process.

As your baby grows into a toddler, signs of a hearing loss may include:

  • limited, poor, or no speech
  • frequently inattentive
  • difficulty learning
  • often increases the volume on the TV
  • fails to respond to conversation-level speech, or answering inappropriately to speech.

How Is My Child's Hearing Tested?

There are several methods of testing a child's hearing. Depending upon the child's age, development, or health status.Behavioral tests involve careful observation of a child's behavioral response to sounds like calibrated speech and pure tones. This may include an infant's eye movements, a head-turn by a toddler, placement of a block in a bucket by a pre-schooler, or a hand-raise by a gradeschooler. Speech responses may involve repeating words at soft or comfortable levels or prompting to parts of the face. Very young children are capable of a number of behavioral tests.

Physiologic tests are not hearing tests but are measures that can partially estimate hearing function. They are used for children who can't be tested behaviorally due to young age, developmental delay, or other medical conditions and in some conditions can help to define the function of the auditory system that is at fault.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test

An infant is sleeping or sedated for the ABR. An infant may be sleeping naturally or may have to be sedated for this test. Additionally, older, cooperative children may be tested in a silent environment while they are visually occupied. Tiny earphones are placed in the baby's ear canals. Usually, click-type sounds are introduced through the earphones, and electrodes measure the hearing nerve's response to the sounds. A computer averages these responses and displays waveforms. Because there are characteristic waveforms for normal hearing in portions of the speech range, a normal ABR can predict fairly well that a baby's hearing is normal in that part of the range. An abnormal ABR may be due to hearing loss, but it may also be due to some medical problems or measurement difficulties.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) test

This test is performed with a sleeping infant or an older child who may be able to sit quietly. In this brief test, a tiny probe is placed in the ear canal. Numerous pulse-type sounds are introduced, and an "echo" response from the outer hair cells in the inner ear is recorded. These recordings are averaged by a computer. A normal recordings is associated with normal outer hair cell function and this typically reflects normal hearing although in some cases the hearing loss may be due to problems in other parts of the hearing pathway.

ABR or OAE tests are often used at hospitals to screen newborns. If a baby fails a screening, the test is usually repeated. If the screening is failed again, the baby is referred for full hearing evaluation.

Tympanometry

Tympanometry is not a hearing test but a procedure that can show how well the eardrum moves when a soft sound and air pressure are introduced in the ear canal. It's helpful in identifying middle ear problems, such as fluid collecting behind the eardrum.

Call 732-303-9660 or e-mail Professional_Hearing and_Speech Center to ask about our hearing aids and discount battery plans.

 

NJ Licensed Audiologist #174,  NJ Hearing Aid Dispenser #564            © Copyright 2007 Dr. Jill Gordon, Professional Hearing and Speech Center

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