Pediatrics: Testing at Birth to Age Two

Newborns and Infants Up to 2 Years of Age

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs)

A series of clicks or tones are produced in the ear canal by a small probe. A microphone within the probe picks up the ear’s response to the sound and sends it to a computer. If the responses are within normal limits, hearing is predicted to be normal or near normal.

Tympanometry

A device changes the pressure within your ear canal and measures how well your eardrum moves in response to the pressure. The purpose of tympanometry is to determine how well the middle ear is functioning and the mobility of the eardrum.

Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR)

During ABR testing, a person is instructed to relax as they listen to a series of clicks and tones through earphones. While this is occurring, brain wave activity is monitored by the placement of sensors on the head. In infants, under the age of 3 months, the testing can be done during natural sleep.

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA)

This test is used with infants from 6 months of age to approximately 2 years of age. Based on the concept of conditioning, children are rewarded for looking in the direction of sounds with a visually rewarding event, e.g. a dancing puppet. The test can be conducted with sounds coming from a speaker or from earphones.

Learn more about Children's Hearing Health....

Child Screening