All newborn infants in the U.S. receive a preliminary hearing screening before they are released from the hospital, but this is certainly not the only hearing test a child will receive as they move through various milestones of growth into adulthood. The types of hearing tests used will vary depending on whether children are receiving a routine screening, or are being examined more thoroughly for suspected hearing loss. In general, these are the types of test you can expect a hearing practitioner to give your child within each age range.

Infants and toddlers

After children reach 7 months, they may be given a type of hearing test known as visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA). The child will sit in your lap (or be placed in a chair) and presented with various sounds. The hearing professional will first teach the child to associate the sounds they hear with a visual reward, such as a toy that lights up. Once this link is established, the provider will vary the pitch and volume of the sounds and record the quietest possible sound the child appears to be capable of hearing.

Preschoolers

At this point, the child is more active and ready to move beyond sound and visual association, so the hearing care professional will use a setup known as play audiometry to test their hearing ability. After being fitted with headphones, the child will be asked to indicate when they can hear sounds by performing some ‘play’ action such as placing a ball in a bucket or putting a puzzle piece in place. Between ages four and five, when children usually enter preschool or kindergarten, children will be tested with pure tone audiometry, sometimes referred to as a sweep test. This is similar to the pure tone test given adults, which requires pushing a button to respond to sounds.

Older Children

Once children are in school, they generally receive a general hearing test on a yearly basis in programs coordinated between the schools and public health services in the area. If hearing screening indicates potential hearing loss, the child’s will be referred to hearing care professional for further testing. Otherwise, parents who suspect hearing loss in their children may request additional testing.

At every milestone through childhood, hearing health is vital to normal speech, educational, and social development. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your children are receiving the appropriate test for their age range, and that they continue to be tested throughout their growing years.