Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Types of Testing
There are 2 different types of test that are performed at the hospital before the child leaves. The otoacoustic emissions, and auditory brain stem response.
The otoacoustic emissions (OAE) test shows whether parts of the ear respond properly to sound. During this test, a soft sponge earphone is inserted into the baby’s ear canal and emits a series of sounds to measure an “echo” response that occurs in normal hearing ears. If there is no echo, it could indicate hearing loss.
The auditory brain stem response (ABR) test checks how the auditory brain stem (the part of the nerve that carries sound from the ear to the brain) and the brain respond to sound by measuring their electrical activity as the child listens. During this test, the baby wears small earphones in the ears and electrodes on the head. Your baby might be given a mild sedative to keep him or her calm and quiet during the test. If the child doesn’t respond consistently to the sounds presented during either of these tests, the doctor will suggest a follow-up hearing screening and a referral to an audiologist for a more comprehensive hearing evaluation. If hearing loss is confirmed, it’s important to consider the use of hearing devices and other communication options before your baby is 6 months old. The use of devices may not always be an option, but it is beneficial to surgical insert the device at a younger age.
During these tests the child is laying down comfortably. If theses tests are not performed at the hospital, or if the child is born at home, the child should be tested before being 3 months old.
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/screened.aspx
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I wonder how effective are these test. Have they ever given out false results, such as passing a deaf child off as one who can hear? Or how can you tell if the results were effective. For example, There could be a child that can hear perfectly fine at the time they took the test, but maybe later on in their lives they loss hearing. Are children required to have hearing test every so often. I enjoyed this post as well!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure if the tests have given false results, but I did read that these tests may be performed multiple times at various stages of life to determine the validity.
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