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Pediatric hearing services
Hearing loss can occur at any age. Parents and other caregivers are encouraged to watch for signs of hearing problems and to have their children tested, as needed. At Park Nicollet, licensed audiologists offer the following tests.
| Otoacoustic emissions (OAE) |
Best conducted when your baby is quiet or sleeping, this test involves placing a small rubber tip in your baby’s ear canal to measure how the inner ear, or cochlea, responds to tones. If hearing loss is detected, further testing may be necessary. |
| Auditory brainstem response (ABR) |
Electrodes, resembling small stickers, are placed on your baby’s head and small earplugs are placed just inside the ear canal. Clicking sounds and responses of the inner ear are recorded as your child sleeps. |
| Visual reinforcement audiometry |
When your child is old enough to turn his or her head in response to sound, visual reinforcement audiometry using a lighted toy tests responses to sound. Responses indicate the quietest sound your child can hear, or the sound level needed for them to detect speech. |
| Play audiometry |
Play audiometry is a game that tests for the quietest sound your child can hear. |
| Immittance testing |
Not considered a test of hearing, immittance testing evaluates eardrum motion and helps identify middle ear problems, such as the presence of fluid. |
If additional evaluation is required, audiologists may recommend your child be seen by a pediatrician, an ear, nose and throat specialist or a genetic counselor. Audiologists also can put you in touch with educational resources that may be available in your school district, such as speech and language pathologists and teachers for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
If you have questions or want to schedule an appointment with an audiologist, call 952-993-1880.
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