What is the youngest age a child can have his/her hearing tested?
Audiologists can test children of any age, including newborns. In fact, the Ohio Legislature just passed a Universal Newborn/Infant Hearing Screening Bill that will require all hospitals in Ohio to provide hearing screenings for all newborns. Newborns, infants and toddlers can be tested using non-invasive methods that either record the brain’s response to sound [Auditory Brainstem Response Audiometry (ABR)], or by introducing sounds via a probe in the ear and measuring the ear’s response to those sounds [Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs)]. When a child is old enough to localize sounds, he/she can undergo behavioral testing in a sound booth using visual reinforcement and/or play audiometry. Children three years old and older can generally be tested much like adults.
