Babies that have just been born will need to be screened to determine if their ears are okay or if there are any potential problems. This is done through two tests. One is the automated oto-acoustic emissions test, referred to in short as AOAE. It takes a short time and can even be performed while the baby is asleep. A very small earpiece is placed in the ears and then clicking sounds played through it. It is a hearing test Etobicoke residents may use on newborns.
With the AOAE test, if the ears of the child are working normally, echoes should be produced in the cochlea. The sounds are analyzed by the computer. There are times when the results are not vivid and they would have to be re-done or another test used. The first test may fail because maybe the baby was not settled during the time, presence of noise in the background or due to temporary ear blockage.
Another test is the automated auditory brainstem test, abbreviated as AABR. In this, there is placement of three sensors that are small on the head and neck of the child. Quiet sounds get played through soft headphones placed on the ears. Sound analysis is done by special computers. These two tests will not work for older babies.
In the course of visual reinforcement audiometry, VRA, the baby sits on the laps of the physician or the parent as sounds get played via speakers. Should the baby turn in the direction of sound a toy is lit up to act as reward. Loudness is varied to know the minimum sound that the baby can hear at every pitch. The test can also be done out using small earphones in the ears of the child so that every ear gets tested separately. It is used for kids between 6 months and 3 years old.
For the case of pure tone audiometry, an audiometer is used to generate sounds at varying volumes. The sounds that are played via headphones as the kid is told to show some response whenever the sounds are heard. The response can be for example pressing some button. Through reduction of sound level, the least sounds that can be heard by the child will be worked out.
This technique is only useful for kids over three years old. It is used for screening hearing ability of children before they begin school. In the technique known as play audiometry, the child will be asked to do a simple activity when they hear sounds played via headphones. For instance, they could be told to move some toy whenever they hear sounds.
Ability of a child to recognize words that are heard without seeing lip movements of the person can be assessed through the speech perception test. Words used can be played from headphones or said directly to the kid without showing movements of the lips. The kid identifies a word through picking matching pictures from a list.
The method used for testing depends on the age of the child and the recommendation of the physician. Tests can also be carried out on adults. There are different methods for adult testing.
With the AOAE test, if the ears of the child are working normally, echoes should be produced in the cochlea. The sounds are analyzed by the computer. There are times when the results are not vivid and they would have to be re-done or another test used. The first test may fail because maybe the baby was not settled during the time, presence of noise in the background or due to temporary ear blockage.
Another test is the automated auditory brainstem test, abbreviated as AABR. In this, there is placement of three sensors that are small on the head and neck of the child. Quiet sounds get played through soft headphones placed on the ears. Sound analysis is done by special computers. These two tests will not work for older babies.
In the course of visual reinforcement audiometry, VRA, the baby sits on the laps of the physician or the parent as sounds get played via speakers. Should the baby turn in the direction of sound a toy is lit up to act as reward. Loudness is varied to know the minimum sound that the baby can hear at every pitch. The test can also be done out using small earphones in the ears of the child so that every ear gets tested separately. It is used for kids between 6 months and 3 years old.
For the case of pure tone audiometry, an audiometer is used to generate sounds at varying volumes. The sounds that are played via headphones as the kid is told to show some response whenever the sounds are heard. The response can be for example pressing some button. Through reduction of sound level, the least sounds that can be heard by the child will be worked out.
This technique is only useful for kids over three years old. It is used for screening hearing ability of children before they begin school. In the technique known as play audiometry, the child will be asked to do a simple activity when they hear sounds played via headphones. For instance, they could be told to move some toy whenever they hear sounds.
Ability of a child to recognize words that are heard without seeing lip movements of the person can be assessed through the speech perception test. Words used can be played from headphones or said directly to the kid without showing movements of the lips. The kid identifies a word through picking matching pictures from a list.
The method used for testing depends on the age of the child and the recommendation of the physician. Tests can also be carried out on adults. There are different methods for adult testing.
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