schedule an appointment - 858.279.6771

Audioscope Pediatric Services

The clinical and office staff at Audioscope has extensive experience in working with infants and young children. We understand the medical, social, educational and familial issues that may occur with a special needs child. You will find our facility is well equipped with toys, furniture and special testing equipment for this age group. The audiologists at Audioscope take great pride and enjoyment in working with infants, children and their parents. What's most important is to address the issue of a potential hearing problem quickly which is why we make a special effort to schedule children promptly.

Diagnostics / Testing

Hearing testing may be indicated for a child if:

  • Birth/medical history puts the child at risk for hearing loss
  • There is a family history of hearing loss
  • The child displays delay in talking or speech is difficult to understand
  • The child does not appear responsive to environmental sounds
  • Parent/guardian is suspicious of hearing loss
  • Child has had frequent ear infections

Infants and children under the age of 3 years require different testing methods than adults. Several procedures can be used depending on the child's age and abilities. Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) is a technique which pairs light or motion with sound to condition the child to look in the direction of the sound source. This method is useful for ages 6 months to about 18 months. For older children Play Audiometry can be utilized. With this technique the child is conditioned to respond to sound by performing a fun behavior such as placing a peg in a board or building a tower. For young infants and those children unable to perform these behavioral tasks, objective measures such as Otoacoustic Emissions and Auditory Brainstem Response testing are useful tools in obtaining information about the child's hearing. These are both non-invasive tests that record physiological events and do not require a response from the child. They are best performed when the child is calm or sleeping. The audiologist will explain the test procedures in detail prior to the evaluation.