Audiology Testing

Newborn Hearing Screenings and Follow-up Screenings

An Audiologist or Newborn Hearing Screener will use special equipment to screen your infant’s hearing while he or she is asleep. Sticker electrodes are placed on your sleeping infant’s shoulder, neck, and forehead and earphones are placed around the infant’s ears. Sounds are sent in through earphones and a computer reads the brain’s response. The infant can pass or refer on this test. If your infant does not pass, a more detailed hearing test must be done.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

An ABR is a way to measure hearing without the child having to respond. The child is asleep for this test. It is done on infants, small children and anyone who cannot or will not cooperate with a behavioral hearing test.

ABR Without Sedation

If your child is 0-5 months old you will need to sleep deprive your child. This test can only be done when your child is asleep. Have your child stay up late the night before, wake your child up early the day of the test, do not let your child nap or sleep in the car on the way to the hospital or in the waiting room. It is helpful to not feed your child before the testing and bring a bottle or be ready to breast feed when the appointment starts. This will help your child sleep.

ABR With Sedation

If your child is six months or older you will be seen by your pediatrician or a pulmonologist, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles before the test. They will make sure your child is healthy and able to take a medicine that helps them sleep. This medicine is called choral hydrate. A nurse will give your child this medicine and she will stay and monitor your child during the test.

Before your child takes this medicine they cannot eat nor have milk or formula for eight hours before the test. Two hours before the test your child cannot have clear liquids (water, Pedialyte®, apple juice etc.). If your child is breastfed you must restrict feeding. Breast-feed your child four hours before the test and stop giving clear liquids two hours before the test.

In addition, make sure to sleep deprive your child before the test. Have your child stay up late the night before, wake your child up early the day of the test, and do not let your child nap or sleep in the morning or in the car before the test. If your child is taking any medications please call and notify the nurse before the appointment at (323) 361-4048. If your child has a cold or a fever the day before the appointment, please notify us by calling (323) 361-4593.

During the test, stickers will be placed on your child’s forehead and behind their ears. Earphones will be placed in your child’s ears. Sound will be played through the earphones and the child’s brainwave response to sounds will be looked at on a computer. This test can only be done while your child is asleep.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE)

This test is used to screen the hearing of an infant or any child who cannot or will not cooperate during behavioral testing. This test is a screening tool and the results are either present or absent. Present OAEs are often consistent with normal to near normal hearing. Absent OAEs may be a sign of a problem; it could be hearing loss, wax in the ears, fluid or infection in the middle ear or a malformed inner ear. Absent results indicate that more testing needs to be done to make sure there is no hearing loss.

During the test, a small rubber tip will be placed in your child’s ear. The tip will make clicking noises and a computer will record very quiet echos from the ear. For this test your child, and everyone in the room, must be able to sit still and be very quiet.

Tympanometry

Tympanometry, often called tymps, is a measure of middle ear function. A small rubber tip is placed in the ear canal and a very small amount of air pressure is put into the ear. A graph is drawn on a computer, the graph shows how the middle ear is functioning. An Audiologist will look at the graph to tell if the eardrum is moving as it should, if there is a build up of pressure in the ear, if there is a hole in the ear drum or if a child’s middle ear tubes are open or blocked.

Behavioral Testing

Behavioral testing is the best and most reliable hearing test. It is done in different ways for different age groups and developmental age groups of children.

If your child is 5 months to 2 years old developmentally: Your child will be trained by an Audiologist or an assistant to look where sound is coming from. When your child hears the sound and turns his or her head to find it, a toy will be lighted to reward him or her.

If your child is 2 to 6 years of age developmentally: Your child will play a game with an Audiologist or an assistant. Your child will be taught to do something (put a toy in a bucket, put a peg on a board, etc.) when he or she hears a sound.

If your child is 6 years or older developmentally: Your child will be told to raise his or her hand or press a button when they hear a sound.