Behavioural Tests of Hearing for Paediatrics Flashcards
(17 cards)
What are behavioural hearing tests?
These are tests that generate a behavioural response from the baby/young child e.g. a sound is played and they respond by blinking or putting a peg in a board for example.
What is age-appropriate testing?
It is required to take the baby or young child’s chronological age into account before deciding which test to use. The tests must take typical infant/toddler development and behaviour into account e.g. shifting attention skills, ability to sit up independently, good head control etc.
What does BOA stand for?
Behavioural Observation Audiometry.
What age do you carry out a BOA?
0-6 months.
Is BOA a non-conditioned or a conditioned response?
Non-conditioned.
What is Behavioural Observation Audiometry?
This is a hearing test consisting of observing the baby’s behaviour in the presence and absence of a sound stimulus.
The stimulus is presented through a loudspeaker and the audiologist looks for behavioural changes to suggest the baby has heard the sounds.
What signs show the baby has heard the sound stimulus during a BOA?
Reflexive responses such as:
- Moro reflex (startling of body so baby throws arms and legs out)
- Facial twitches
- Big eye blink (Auro-palpebral reflex)
- Change in sucking
Orienting responses include:
- Breath holding/change in breathing
- Starting/stopping crying
- Eye-widening
- Change in facial expressions e.g. smiling/frowning
What does VRA stand for?
Visual Reinforcement Audiometry.
What age range do you carry out VRA on?
6 months - 36 months
What hearing information does a VRA give you?
This test gives frequency and hearing threshold information. The information is accurate to within 10-15dB of their hearing threshold.
How is the VRA carried out?
A sound stimulus is presented at each speech frequency (500Hz-4,000Hz) and if the child turns their head, the visual reinforcement is played. This is typically a light up mechanical toy.
Then the sound is presented at a lower decibel and the threshold is tracked similarly to pure tone audiometry.
The test can be carried out using a loudspeaker or inserting earphones.
Is VRA a conditioned or non-conditioned response?
Conditioned response.
What age range is Play Audiometry carried out on?
From 2.5 years - 5 years old.
What does Play Audiometry consist of?
The child must wait for a sound to be played at varying frequencies and loudness (to gain their hearing threshold).
Once they hear the sound, they must respond using the play activity e.g. putting the brick in the box.
What is the goal of testing for Play Audiometry?
Ideally, the goal is to establish the child’s hearing thresholds from 250 - 4,000Hz in each ear.
However, the child’s attention might fade so completing the test in multiple sittings is an option.
How do you establish the hearing threshold?
The audiologist will start 40dB above the child’s expected threshold.
Then descend in large steps e.g. 20dB because this speeds up the procedure with young children.
The audiologist will accept 2 responses as their threshold e.g. using 10dB down and going up by 5dB method when nearing their hearing threshold.
