If you believe your child may have hearing issues, seeing a pediatric audiologist as soon as possible is necessary for diagnosis and treatment options. Hearing well helps your child learn to speak, read, appreciate the sounds all around them, and to detect warnings such as sirens or approaching cars. Tests can help determine hearing issues in all ages, including newborns, infants, and children.
The types of tests your pediatric audiologist gives will depend on the issues your child is having, as well as their age and stage in life. Examples include:
Conventional Audiometry – With this test, the doctor presents tones that are at different pitches and volume. Depending on the child’s age, words are spoken as well. As the tests are conducted, your child’s responses are observed and recorded. If you want to diagnose Pediatric you can visit Home – Lincoln Diagnostics, LLC.
Behavioral Observational Audiometry (BOA) – Here, the doctor watches for changes in the patient’s behavior, such as how they might be sucking on a pacifier, how wide the eyes may become, or look in the direction of a sound.
Tympanometry – The doctor will measure the eardrum movement to assess how the middle ear is conducting sound to the inner ear. An instrument is inserted which changes the pressure in the ear. It generates a tone the patient can hear and therefore measures the response to sound at different pressures.
Acoustic Reflexes – Much like a physician will test your knee and elbow reflexes, a pediatric audiologist can check the reflex of the stapedius muscle in the middle ear. The acoustic reflex threshold (ART) is the level at which sound will trigger the reflex in the ear.