How a hearing assessment works for children aged 5 and up and adults

A hearing assessment is performed by an audiologist. It will determine how well you are hearing and determine what type of hearing loss you or your child have, if any.

The assessment process

Pure-tone audiometry

In a soundproofed booth, you or your child will be presented with sounds of varying volumes and frequencies. The goal of pure-tone audiometry is to determine the quietest sounds you can hear in each ear.

Every time you hear a sound, you will inform the audiologist by performing an action like pressing a button, raising your hand or saying “yes”. The audiologist records your answers on a graph called an audiogram (a graphical representation of your hearing acuity), which shows your auditory thresholds for different pitches (low and high).

Hearing assessment allows the audiologist to determine the nature of the hearing impairment (conductive, neurosensorial, mixed, etc.) and to make hypothesis about the type of hearing loss (e.g. noise exposure, presbycusis).

Vocal audiometry

During the vocal audiometry test, you will hear a series of words and be asked to repeat them. This will give the audiologist an idea of your ability to hear and understand words.

The speech test will give the audiologist an idea of your ability to hear and understand words (auditory intelligibility). The results are then given as a percentage.

Immittance measurement

Immittance measurement is generally, though not always, performed during the first appointment. However, it is not recommended if a person has undergone surgery.

It is a mechanical test of the ear that measures eardrum mobility, among others.

The test involves placing an earmold in or on your ears, depending on the type of equipment. First, you will feel pressure, similar to the pressure felt during landing in an airplane. Next, you will hear short, loud sounds. You will be asked not to respond and to stay still and quiet during the tests.

Results

After a hearing assessment, your audiologist will explain the results and make any necessary recommendations. A meeting with a hearing health professional, such as an ENT specialist, a speech-language pathologist or an audioprosthetist, may be needed.

A report is written after the exam and a copy may be given to the parents.