Audiometric Test

Female audiologist testing young boy hearing while he is playing with blocks

Behavioral Techniques in Pediatric Audiology

The standard behavioral procedures used to assess the hearing of very young children are powerful tools. Yet, even in the hands of a skilled clinician, they are nearly worthless unless the child is ready to be tested. Thus, it is helpful—indeed necessary—to draw on techniques that get the child to do what we want the child to do.

Topic(s): Psychology, Professional Development, immittance, otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), tympanometry, Audiometric Test, Acoustic, auditory brainstem response (ABR)

Author(s):

James Peck

Publication Issue: Audiology Today January/February 2020

Pure-Tone Average and Speech-in-Noise

The pure-tone average (PTA) of 500, 1000, 2000 Hz has long been used as a calculation for hearing impairment for speech understanding. It became the basis for the 1959 American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology (AAOO) hearing-impairment calculation.

KNOW HOW | Changing Times Will Revitalize Audiology Services

Audiology services and provisions are changing following the passage of the over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid legislation. In the end, what that will actually mean is still unclear. Likely, we will see a device that can manage mild hearing loss for patients and give them some options for their hearing health care. Those of us who have practiced for many years are still trying to decide how that will fit into our current practice model and whether to incorporate an OTC product in the clinic.

Topic(s): Patient care, over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid devices, Audiometric Test, Tinnitus, Cochlear Implants (CI), Hearing, Balance/Vestibular, speech-in-noise, Bluetooth, Professional

Author(s):

Dawn Hulthen Koncsol

Publication Issue: Audiology Today September/October 2019

Sudden Hearing Loss: Audiologist Important Role

The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation has just published Clinical Practice Guideline: Sudden Hearing Loss (Chandrasekhar et al, 2019). The purpose of the guideline is to provide clinicians with updated evidence-based recommendations in the evaluation and management of patients with sudden hearing loss, in particular idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Some highlights include the following:

I Hear Fine, Others Need to Just Stop Mumbling

As audiologists, it is common to come across patients who deny hearing difficulty or rationalize those difficulties to external variables. This brings up the question, how prevalent is report of self-perceived good hearing despite audiometric evidence of hearing loss?

A Two-Minute Speech-in-Noise Test: Protocol and Pilot Data

Hearing-care professionals (HCPs) and hearing aid wearers report the chief complaint secondary to hearing loss and to wearing traditional hearing aids, is the inability to understand speech-in-noise (SIN; see Beck et al, 2019). Beck et al (2018) reported that, in addition to the 37 million Americans with audiometric hearing loss, 26 million have hearing difficulty and/or difficulty understanding SIN, despite clinically normal thresholds. As such, helping people hear (i.e., to perceive sound) and helping people listen (i.e., to comprehend, or apply meaning to sound) remains paramount.

Topic(s): speech-in-noise, Hearing, Hearing Loss, Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Noise Reduction, Audiometric Test

Author(s):

Douglas L. Beck

Lauren Benitez

Publication Issue: Audiology Today May/June 2019

JAAA Editorial: Rise of the Machines: Audiology and Mobile Devices

Over the past few decades, advances in mobile device technology have enabled many of the core audiology tests to be delivered through smart phones or tablet computers.

Variations on a Theme: Mild Hearing Loss and Word Recognition Scores

Timmer et al (2015) report that the prevalence rate of mild hearing impairment varies greatly with the definition. They report that the weak correlations between audiologic assessments and patient-based self-reported difficulties indicate further assessment of individuals with mild hearing impairment is warranted. In their Table 2 (page 788) they offer a “summary of descriptive classifications of mild hearing impairment” which includes similar, although different, common definitions of mild hearing loss.

Hearing Aid Use and Cognitive Function

Dawes et al (2015) sought to “clarify the impact of hearing aids on mental health, social engagement, cognitive function, and physical health outcomes in older adults with hearing impairment….” The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study (EHLS) in Wisconsin started with 3,753 people who underwent the first round of tests (i.e., “pre-baseline”) in 1993-1995 and included audiometric evaluations as well as a questionnaire on hearing related health, potential risk factors of hearing loss, and self-perceived hearing handicap.

Are Sound Booths Necessary?

Margolis and Madsen (2015) examined the need for (or lack of) and effectiveness of sound rooms/booths. They considered the testing ranges of people undergoing audiometric tests, as well as an analysis of four different test rooms/booths and five different earphones. The multiple test results (combinations of booths and earphones allowed testing from -10 to +20 dB HL) allowed accurate testing across the test frequencies employed in clinical audiology.