How Do You Assess Hearing Impairments In Children?
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has established guidelines for assessing hearing impairments in children. It’s important to begin with an age-appropriate hearing screening conducted by a qualified practitioner. If your child does not pass the screening, make arrangements for audiometric testing with a licensed, ASHA-certified audiologist. Discuss the findings of the various tests and understand what type of hearing impairment your child has. Determine the right type of hearing screening depending upon your child’s age and developmental level. Hearing screenings quickly divide children into two groups: those who pass the test and those who don’t. Newborns and infants are screened by otoacoustic emissions (inaudible responses from the cochlea when the ear is stimulated by sound) or auditory brainstem responses (electrodes placed on the head to measure brain waves in response to sounds). Older infants and toddlers are screened by visual reinforcement audiometry (tr
