Children

We offer assessment for children from 6 months of age. The aim of testing younger children is to obtain accurate information in a fun & relaxed atmosphere. Similar to adults, we assess your child’s hearing sensitivity across a range of frequencies (pitches) prioritising those used in speech.

All children will have tympanometry and Otoacoustic Emissions where indicated.

Tympanometry:
This test will assess how sound travels through your ear. A soft probe is comfortably placed at the entrance to the ear canal. It tells us if there is any fluid or congestion behind the eardrums. Presence of fluid behind the eardrum is called “glue ear”.

Otoacoustic Emissions:
Assesses the outer hair cell function of the cochlea (part of the inner ear). A probe/ plug is placed at the entrance to the ear canal and a combination of clicking tones are presented, the results are recorded by a computer.

Hearing Test: 6 months- 2 ½ years

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA):
The child can sit on the parent’s lap or in their own chair, specially placed speakers present a sound and pictures reward the child for a positive response.

2 ½ years- 5 years: Play Audiometry
The child is conditioned in a fun game to “put the man in the boat” or “put the hoop on the stick” in response to hearing the stimulus. This is a fun way to accurately test the hearing in each ear.

Over 5 years:
A more in-depth audiogram can be performed, the test can be modified according to the child’s age.