To study the feasibility of using filtered environmental sounds as test stimuli to determine the auditory sensitivity of young children, a tape recorded test was prepared using environmental sounds which retain their identity when filtered. Twenty normal-hearing preschoolers and 40 hearing impaired children (20 with flat sensori-neural hearing losses, 20 with high-frequency impairments) were evaluated during test and retest sessions. The sound test yielded auditory thresholds for both groups of subjects which were judged as valid and reliable as those obtained from pure-tone testing. Further testing is recommended before the test's potential as a clinical tool is determined. (KW)