Children's hearing assessment - Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

During your child’s hearing assessment, the type of test used will vary depending on their stage of development.

Below are some common tests we use during the assessment.

Otoacoustic Emissions

This test involves placing a probe in the ear canal. Quiet sounds are played into the ear and we measure a response or ‘echo’ back from the inner ear. This test can be done while a child or baby is sleeping and does not require any active co-operation.

Tympanometry

We will often perform a test to see how well your child’s eardrums are moving. This is to check for any middle ear fluid or congestion. This is known as Tympanometry. This procedure does not require active cooperation of your child and is not painful.

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA)

We will play sounds and if your child turns to the sound they will be rewarded with a moving toy or video animation. We will condition your child to associate the sound with the visual reward. This means we can vary the level of the sound and see how loud the sound needs to be before your child will turn to it.

Performance testing and play audiometry

This involves teaching your child to listen and wait for a sound. Once they hear the sound, we will ask your child to respond through play activity to the sound. For example, placing a ring on a peg each time particular sound is heard.

Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA)

For older children we may perform Pure Tone Audiometry. This involves asking your child to listen to sounds and press a button each time they hear the sound.

Speech Discrimination Tests

We may also carry out Speech discrimination tests to see how clearly your child can hear speech sounds. We assess if your child can tell the difference between words and sounds that are similar. This is even if they are played at a very quiet level.