Tests
Audiologic assessment
Diagnostic capabilities
For children, a combination of behavioral and physiologic measures may be used when assessing the hearing/auditory status of infants and children. Behavioral audiometry methods may include behavioral observation, visual reinforcement, conditioned orientation response, conditioned play, and conventional audiometry; as well as speech audiometry.
Physiologic measures may include acoustic immittance measures (for example, tympanometry, acoustic reflexes), Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR – including sedated and unsedated/infant ABR for hearing threshold assessment), and Otoacoustic emissions (OAE). For adults, these same behavioral and physiologic measures are available in addition to adult assessment of balance (vestibular) function.
Please note: At this time, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Audiology does not offer auditory processing evaluations. Please call (603) 650-8126 to find a center near you.
Behavioral hearing test methods
|
Test Method |
Age (developmental) |
|
0 to 5 months |
|
|
Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA), Conditioned Orientation Reflex (COR) Audiometry |
6 months to 2+ years |
|
2+ years |
|
|
4 to 5 years |
Physiologic auditory tests
|
Test |
Assesses |
|
Acoustic Immittance (for example, tympanometry, acoustic reflexes, acoustic reflex decay) |
Status of the middle ear system |
|
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) |
Outer hair cell function in the inner ear |
|
Auditory nerve function and for estimation of peripheral hearing levels |
Sedated auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing
Hearing evaluations via sedated ABR are scheduled following case review by pediatric audiology. The type of sedation used is determined and monitored by the CHaD Pain Free Anesthesia Team.
Unsedated auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing
Hearing evaluations via unsedated ABR are scheduled for infants from birth through age 5 months.
