Hearing testing in children allows you to determine the sensitivity of the hearing analyzer to sound waves of a certain intensity and frequency. Audiometric examination helps to identify pathologies accompanied by a decrease in the quality of perception of sound signals and spoken language. Timely elimination of violations leads to the restoration of the functions of the sound-receiving or sound-conducting parts of the auditory analyzer.
Audiometry is one of the most reliable methods for determining the threshold of sound sensitivity in preschool and adolescent children. Depending on the type of equipment used and the acumetry technique, the specialist determines which part of the hearing organ is impaired. Thus, it is possible to establish the fact of the development of hearing loss and the degree of hearing loss.
Appointment of audiometry
For what purposes is the hearing test in children carried out on the device? The first audiometric examinations are carried out within a few days after birth. Timely identification and elimination of pathologies prevents the occurrence of difficulties at the stage of speech development. According to pediatricians, congenital hearing loss leads to speech impairment and, accordingly, developmental delay.
Important! If there are indications of hearing problems in the anamnestic data of the parents, it is advisable to conduct an audiometric examination of the newborn at least 1-2 times every six months.
Diagnosis of impairments and proper treatment can correct the problems associated with the development of auditory dysfunction. If the malfunctions of the auditory analyzer were caused by conductive reasons, the pathology can be completely eliminated in 8 cases out of 10. Hearing restoration contributes to the normal development of speech and language abilities in preschool children.
General information
To test a child's hearing, specialists use several examination methods, the choice of which is determined by the patient's age. To determine the minimum hearing threshold in preschool children, the following diagnostic methods are used:
- computer audiometry is one of the most reliable methods for determining auditory sensitivity, which is used to examine newborns and adults;
- behavioral audiometry - used to determine the threshold of hearing in children aged 5 to 36 months;
- play audiometry - designed to test the quality of auditory perception in children aged 3 to 5 years.
For the examination of school-age children, "adult" techniques are used, which include speech and tonal audiometry. In this case, hearing acuity is determined by audiologists with the help of tuning forks according to the methods of Schwabach, Rinne or Weber.
Subjective audiometry
Audiometric methods for diagnosing hearing loss are divided into two types: subjective and objective. Among the first are acoustic tests, which require feedback from the subject. Most of them are used to study the performance of the hearing organ in children of a conscious age, who can answer the question of whether they hear a sound of a certain tone or not.
How to test a child's hearing? The most common subjective methods of audiometric examination include:
- reflex - tracking the patient's response to sounds of varying intensity; used to diagnose hearing loss in newborns 2-3 weeks of age;
- play - determining the degree of auditory sensitivity in children aged 3 years and older;
- the specialist asks the subject to perform some action only after he hears a certain sound;
- speech - assessment of the threshold of audibility of a speech signal reproduced with different intensities;
- tonal - checking the sensitivity of the sound-conducting and sound-receiving system of the auditory analyzer in relation to sounds reproduced at different frequencies.
The results of subjective methods of studying auditory sensitivity are determined by the presence of inflammation in the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and the organ of hearing.
Objective audiometry
Objective methods for assessing the performance of the auditory analyzer are more often used in the examination of children under the age of 2 years. To identify pathologies in the development of the organ of hearing, specialists use the following methods of audiometry:
- otoacoustic emission - registration of sound signals in the external auditory canal generated by hair cells in response to the sound generated by the audiometer;
- registration of evoked potentials - fixation of the electrical activity of the brain that occurs when a test signal is generated that enters the hearing organ of a sleeping newborn;
- tympanometry - the creation of air pressure in the external auditory canal, which allows you to determine the degree of mobility of the auditory ossicles and ear membrane.
Objective methods for assessing the bone and air conduction of sounds make it possible to determine in which part of the auditory analyzer there are violations.
Child's audiogram
The audiogram of hearing for children is a two-dimensional graph with decibels (dB) on the vertical axis and hertz (Hz) on the horizontal axis. It shows curves that clearly demonstrate the presence of deviations in the perception of sound signals of a certain intensity and frequency. If the points of the curves are in the range from 0 to 25 dB, this indicates that there are no deviations.
At the age of 5 months, the minimum hearing threshold of a newborn is approximately 50-60 dB.
However, it should be borne in mind that the patient's age influences the threshold sensitivity of the auditory analyzer. A result at which the minimum value of audibility of airborne signals is 15 dB is not considered a deviation. Only the weakest sound vibrations that the patient can recognize are recorded on the graph.
Self-test of hearing
To make sure that there is no conductive and sensorineural hearing loss in a child, experts recommend conducting audiological examinations on their own. If you suspect hearing impairment, you should make an appointment with an otolaryngologist who will conduct an otoscopic and audiometric examination of the patient, as a result of which the type of pathology and the appropriate method of treatment will be determined.
How to test a child's hearing at home? The easiest way to test a child is using speech audiometry methods. This requires:
- ask the subject to sit on a chair and turn his left or right ear towards you;
- step back 6 m and in a whisper, but clearly pronounce the words "mom", "sport", "earth", "boots", etc .;
- in a similar way, testing is carried out from a distance of 20 m, but the words are pronounced loudly enough.
If the child can make out the words, the distance between him and the speaker should be gradually reduced, requiring clear reproduction of the words. The shorter the distance between the subject and you, the greater the hearing impairment. If you receive unsatisfactory test results, you need to be examined by a doctor.
