AUDIOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS
Audiological evaluations for very young children are typically tracked
by behaviorial responses. The evaluator will note responses to sounds through
head turns or game playing. Testing takes less than one hour.
TYPES OF BEHAVIORAL TESTS
There are three types of behavioral tests:
- Threshhold testing - which measures the quietest tones or speech
that a child is able to hear.
- Word recognition testing- which measures a child's ability to understand
speech at comfortable loudness levels.
- Middle ear testing- which test for the presence of fluid or some
other middle ear dysfunction. The results are presented in a diagram called
a tympanogram.
WHAT DO BEHAVIORAL TESTS INDICATE?
Behavioral tests provide three essential pieces of information. First, they
measure the degree or amount of hearing loss. Second, they can help in locating
the problem, e.g. a dysfunction within the inner ear, middle ear or some
combination of the two. Third, behavioral tests provide information about
how the hearing loss will affect a child's ability to communicate. If a
child is also tested while wearing a hearing aid, the effectveness of the
hearing device can be noted.
Detection
and Screening
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