Hearing Tests for Children: Pediatric Audiology and Screening

Hearing tests for children can be slightly different than for adults, especially if they are younger. As a parent, it is important to understand the different types of hearing tests and pediatric audiology and screening options so that you can attain the best assessment for your children. Here is everything you need to know about attaining hearing tests for children.

Behavioral Versus Physiological Testing

In pediatric audiology, there are often two types of hearing tests pursued for children and infants. First, there is behavioral hearing testing, which involves how a child responds to the audio that they hear. A child’s behavior can allow a pediatric audiologist to understand what level of hearing the child has.

That orientation and behavioral play will signify whether they are reacting to the sounds or not, which can help the pediatric audiologist detect whether they have hearing loss. After that, there is physiological hearing testing, which involves how a child’s brain responds to sounds. A child’s brainstem response can allow a pediatric audiologist just to understand whether they are experiencing hearing difficulties or not.

What Type of Hearing Test is Best for Your Child?

Of course, an expert audiologist will tell you what type of hearing test is best for your child and their age. However, it is good for you to understand the hearing test knowledge before you speak to a pediatric expert, so you can ensure that you are aware of what the testing will involve.

Behavioral testing is often performed on younger children, especially newborns. It is a comfortable hearing test that will simply see how the baby reacts to specific sounds. The behavioral reactions will allow the audiologist to become aware of any hearing difficulties.

Physiological testing is often performed on children older than six months. This is due to their brain being developed and ensuring that the audiologist can attain a thorough reading. The older your child gets, the more thorough and interactive the hearing test can be. For instance, when your child is older than six months, behavioral hearing tests can involve sound simulations which can see how a child reacts to hearing by them interacting with a game.

After a child has started speaking and they are in their toddler stage, then they will likely be asked to perform a more thorough adult-like assessment such as using speech to show the audiologist what level their hearing is at.

Is it Important to Attain Hearing Tests for Children?

Whether or not you think that your child is dealing with hearing loss or damage, it is important to seek a hearing test for children as you will not know whether or not they can hear properly until they are older. You will want to catch their hearing difficulty early on so that you can offer them the right age and ensure that they enjoy the best quality of life possible.

Seeking a professional audiology assessment when the child is newborn will ensure that you can stay on top of their hearing, health and wellness.