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.
During pure tone audiometry, an instrument known as an audiometer is used for generation of sounds at frequencies and volumes that are varying. The generated sounds are played via headphones as the child is told to show response whenever they hear a sound. For instance, they may be told to press a button. The sound level is reduced to know the least sound the child can hear.
The technique works for children of three years and above. It helps to screen hearing ability of a child before he or she starts school. When play audiometry is used, children will be asked to perform simple tasks whenever they hear sounds played from headphones. They could for instance be asked to move toys whenever they hear a sound.
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.
During pure tone audiometry, an instrument known as an audiometer is used for generation of sounds at frequencies and volumes that are varying. The generated sounds are played via headphones as the child is told to show response whenever they hear a sound. For instance, they may be told to press a button. The sound level is reduced to know the least sound the child can hear.
The technique works for children of three years and above. It helps to screen hearing ability of a child before he or she starts school. When play audiometry is used, children will be asked to perform simple tasks whenever they hear sounds played from headphones. They could for instance be asked to move toys whenever they hear a sound.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment