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…

Worldwide, 15 million babies are "born too soon" every year (Blencowe et al., 2012; Howson et al., 2013). Remarkably, prematurity survival rates now exceed 93% across all countries. More than 360,000 preterm babies survived in the United States in 2020; 10% of all births (Blencowe et al., 2012; Howson et al., 2013). While this is an…

Purpose: The aims of the study were to examine the acoustic reflex screening and threshold in healthy neonates and those at risk of hearing loss and to determine the effect of birth weight and gestational age on acoustic stapedial reflex (ASR). Method: We assessed 18 healthy neonates (Group I) and 16 with at least 1 risk factor for hearing loss…

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.

The purpose of this study is to show the changing trends within the population of children who are deaf and hard of hearing in Belgium over the last 12 years. The combination of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening programs, early intervention, and cochlear implants have tremendously influenced the education and support of children who are deaf or…

State coordinators of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs completed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, or SWOT, analysis that examined 12 areas within state EHDI programs. For audiological evaluation and services, 299 items were listed by 49 coordinators, and themes were identified within each SWOT category.…

State coordinators of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) programs completed a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, or SWOT, analysis that examined 12 areas within state EHDI programs. Concerning periodic early childhood hearing screening, 47 coordinators listed 241 items and themes were identified within each SWOT…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine children's head orientation relative to the arrival angle of competing signals and the sound source of interest in actual school settings. These data were gathered to provide information relative to the potential for directional benefit. Method: Forty children, 4-17 years of age, with and without…

Audibility thresholds were measured at 500 and 4000 Hz with a standard clinical procedure and a two-interval, forced-choice adaptive procedure for 72 normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners, age 17 to 83. Response bias played only a small role in accounting for difference in threshold estimated by adaptive and clinical procedures or for…

Ninetieth percentile cutoffs for acoustic reflex thresholds (ART) were determined for a sample of 1,374 adult subjects with normal hearing and sensorineural loss of cochlear origin. It was found that 12.2 percent had one ear ART elevated above the ninetieth percentile, but only 5.6 percent had more than one elevated ART. (DB)

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.…

Purpose: Some researchers have assessed ear-specific performance of auditory processing ability using speech recognition tasks with normative data based on diotic administration. The present study investigated whether monotic and diotic administrations yield similar results using the Selective Auditory Attention Test. Method: Seventy-two typically…

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 study examined the test-retest reliability in unaided and aided sound-field thresholds and the functional gain values derived from these measurements in 24 hearing-impaired adults. Test-retest standard deviations were slightly larger for functional gain than for unaided thresholds. (Author/DB)

This paper provides guidelines for neonatal audiologic screening. Hearing tests that measure behavioral responses, and those that measure physiological changes of body function in response to a stimulus, are discussed. The paper is intended to rectify inadequate means of identifying and testing infants considered as high risks for hearing loss.…