Evaluation of Hearing in Children with Special Needs

Key Points

• By appropriately controlling the test environment and using the appropriate test protocols, almost any child can be tested using behavioral techniques.
• If a child cannot be tested, the audiologist needs to take ownership for the inability to test and say "I was unable to test this child" rather than "This child is untestable."
• Testing should definitely begin in soundfield for a child with tactile sensitivity because touching the child to place or insert earphones may be so distressing that the audiologic evaluation cannot be completed