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:
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Most newborn infants startle or "jump" to sudden loud
noises.
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By
3 months, a baby usually recognizes a parent's voice.
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By
6 months, an infant can usually turn his or her eyes or head
toward a sound.
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By
12 months, a child can usually imitate some sounds and
produce a few words, such as "Mama" or "bye-bye."
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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:
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limited, poor, or no speech
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frequently inattentive
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difficulty learning
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often increases the volume on the TV
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fails to respond to conversation-level speech, or answering
inappropriately to speech.
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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. |
