Audiologic evaluation of infants and preschoolers: a practical approach

Many children suspected of having hearing loss are referred for audiologic evaluation every day. Cross-checking the results from more than one audiologic tests is considered crucial in pediatric audiology, preferably combining subjective and objective methods. The current recommended approach for hearing assessment of infants and preschoolers is based on physiologic tests, immittance measurements, and behavioral responses. As a consequence, a full examination usually takes more than 90 minutes. Because the number of referrals may be much greater than the actual performance of a modern audiologic department, it would be desirable to shorten the evaluation time without reducing its validity. The largest part of the population referred to our department for hearing evaluation consists of children 1½ to 4 to 5 years old suspected of having hearing loss. The proposed triad history/otoscopy → speech evaluation → otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) has been proven very effective in sorting out all those children with normal hearing bilaterally. The suggested algorithm shows several advantages compared to the conventional approach. It is safe, inexpensive, noninvasive, and gives reliable results in a significantly faster way, thus increasing compliance and applicability in very young children. In this way, we can save time, “money,” and “diagnostic energy,” which could be used for those children who really need them.