Physiologic Evaluation Essay

654 Words3 Pages

Introduction and Background Pediatric audiologic evaluations are used to identify hearing loss in newborn babies. If hearing loss is present, remediation can begin. A hearing loss not identified in the early stages in child development can impede on the child’s ability to acquire language and other basic functions of communication. The child’s threshold must first be identified in order to determine their degree of hearing loss. Professionals use the term minimum response level (MRL) to describe techniques, such as visual reinforcement audiometry, that cause an audiologic behavioral response. It is also noted that the MRL may improve over time as the child matures. Some individuals believe it best to describe hearing test as describing …show more content…

However, there are certain instances in which a consistent response is not valid either, such as false responses. To ensure that the test results are valid and accurate, cross-check measures are used. There are 3 types of cross-check measures: behavioral, physiologic, and functional listening. Behavioral cross-check measure can include asking a child to point to a particular feature on a picture. If the child cannot point to the picture, then it is noted that the child has low receptive language skills. Physiologic cross-check measures require the child to be cooperative and quiet, and this cross-check measure is often performed at the same time as the behavioral audiological evaluation. Functional listening cross-check measures use the feedback from the child’s caregiver to get a better grasp of the child’s auditory behaviors and their functional listening abilities. All of these measures are used like a check and balance system with each other to ensure the test results are accurate and