Hearing Tests for Children
From newborn to older children, we have the experience, skill and equipment to test your child’s hearing
How do we test children’s hearing?
Visual Reinforcement (VRA)
VRA is a test that allows us to assess hearing in infants and toddlers too young for normal tests. VRA relies on behavioural conditioning to train very young kids to respond to sounds. It is designed for children aged 6 months to around 2 and a half years old. Visual reinforcers such as lighted toys are placed 90-degrees to each side of the child to "train" them to look toward the direction of the sound. This test is done with two audiologists.
Conditioned Play Audiometry (CPA)
CPA allows us to test the hearing of very young toddlers and preschoolers. CPA uses behavioural conditioning to get kids to respond to sounds. It is designed for children between 2 and 5 years of age – they are encouraged and trained to listen to a sound, and perform a play-like task in response to that sound, for example they will place a block in a bucket every time they hear a beep
Pure Tone Audiometry
From approximately 5 years of age, a child may be able to respond reliably in the booth by wearing headphones and either pressing a button or raising their arm in response to sounds heard.
Advanced Audiology: ABRs & OAEs
The auditory brainstem response (ABR) test tells us how the inner ear, called the cochlea, and the brain pathways for hearing are working. The test is used with children or others who cannot complete a typical hearing screening test and requires specialised equipment and expertise
The OAE (Otoacoustic Emissions) test checks part of the inner ear's response to sound. The test is mostly done on infants and children who may not be able to respond to behavioural hearing tests