Children can only develop spoken language through consistent exposure to the acoustic cues that comprise speech and language. Until recently, hearing levels from the clinical audiogram were the primary measure used to define typical hearing and the presence or degree of a child's hearing loss. While the clinical audiogram remains an important…

Hearing levels are threatened by modern life--headsets for music, rock concerts, traffic noises, etc. It is crucial we know our hearing levels so that we can draw attention to potential problems. This exercise requires that students receive a hearing screening for their benefit as well as for making the connection of hearing to listening.

This manuscript describes a pilot project in which infants in Guam who refer on newborn hearing screening receive diagnostic audiological evaluation conducted by audiologists in Colorado over the Internet (telepractice). The evaluation is completed in real time using commercially-available software and personal computers to control the diagnostic…

Because newborn hearing screening has become the standard of care in the United States, every state has established an early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) program responsible for establishing, maintaining, and improving the system of services needed to serve children with hearing loss and their families. While significant developments…

The article presents a systematic approach to examining the auditory abilities of hearing impaired children that is intended not only to evaluate a child's listening skills, but to point out specific difficulties and thus suggest directions for rehabilitation. (DLS)

Text and graphs describe the Dynamic Range Configuration audiogram developed at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis, Missouri. The audiogram displays the portion of the average speech spectrum audible to the child, with and without amplification, and can be effective in counseling parents and planning appropriate amplification.…

A simple procedure for measuring changes in the acoustic impedance of the ear is described. The technique has several applications, including simulation using a standard coupler of changes in real ear impedance produced by the acoustic reflex, and calibration of response time of an otoadmittance meter. (Author/DB)

According to the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, between eight and nine million people suffer from some form of deafness or loss of hearing. Modern technology, however, together with the work of audiologists such as Karen Shepherd, enables many adults and children to recover near-normal levels of hearing, even when they have suffered some…

The article profiles five cases of children (8-17 years old) with learning disabilities and auditory processing problems. Possible correlations between the presumed etiology and the unique audiological pattern on the central test battery are analyzed. (Author/CL)

A case study describes audiologic test results from a child considered dysynchronous (out of phase with environments of home, school, or peers) whose problems were exacerbated by middle ear infection. Auditory perceptual/processing problems were uncovered. (Author/CL)

Case study reports a case of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, a form of child abuse in which the mother presents a child for treatment for a condition she herself has invented or created. This case study describes the ways in which a mother obtained a diagnosis of sensorineural hearing loss as well as amplification for her normally hearing infant.…

Examples of 26 toys and games that can be used as rewards for language lessons and audiological evaluation of hearing-impaired children are listed. The materials are explained to provide reinforcement for the child's speech production. Materials are briefly described and names of their publishers given. (CL)

The feasibility of using a community based high risk register to identify infants with hearing loss was evaluated. For all newborns at the hospital, information obtained from the hospital chart and from the mother Informed parents and physicians about children considered to be at risk for hearing loss. Testing was scheduled for 6 months from the…

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common inherited cause of mental retardation resulting in developmental delays in males. Atypical outer ear morphology is characteristic of FXS and may serve as a marker for abnormal auditory function. Despite this abnormality, studies of the hearing of young males with FXS are generally lacking. A few studies…

The manual describes audiology services offered at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). Components are listed for diagnostic services, instructional services, program development, training, and publications. Testing and reporting procedures for MSSD students are outlined. Testing includes pure-tone air conduction testing, tympanometry,…