Test Interpretation

Question 1

progressive hearing loss

Answer 1

• deteriorate over time
• routine hearing exams following a hearing loss diagnosis

Question 2

even though an infant passes a newborn hearing screening, doesn’t mean that…

Answer 2

they cannot acquire a loss later on

Question 3

if a child is being seen by the SLP for the first time,…

Answer 3

you may need to rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor

Question 4

speech audiometry: conductive HL

Answer 4

typically good speech understanding

Question 5

speech audiometry: sensorineural

Answer 5

loss of speech discrimination ability

Question 6

speech reception (recognition) threshold (SRT)

Answer 6

• validates pure tone results
• should be equal to (+/- 5 dB) PTA
• PTA and SRT are in agreement

Question 7

what if the SRT and PTA are not in agreement?

Answer 7

• equipment malfunction
• misunderstanding of instructions by patient
• pseudohypacusis

Question 8

pseudohypacusis

Answer 8

exaggerating a hearing loss

Question 9

word discrimination testing

Answer 9

• scores reflect an appropriate level of the patient’s understanding of speech
• intensity is steady and loud enough for the person to comfortably hear the words
• 25-50 word list of monosyllabic words presented
• percent correct is determined
• no visual cues, only based on what they hear

Question 10

other audiometric data

Answer 10

sound field unaided and aided

Question 11

why test in the sound field?

Answer 11

• young children may not wear headphones
• cannot obtain separate ear information, better ear will respond
• testing hearing aids in vs. hearing aids out through the speakers
• verifying benefit of hearing aids
• testing cochlear implant thresholds through speakers

Question 12

aided sound field testing symbols

Answer 12

• A = aided
• AR = aided right ear only
• AL = aided left ear only
• AU = aided bilaterally
• CI - cochlear implant threshold

Question 13

otoacoustic emission (OAE) interpretation

Answer 13

test of cochlear functioning (outer hair cell function)

Question 14

present OAE

Answer 14

• normal or near normal cochlear functioning
• assume normal hearing

Question 15

absent OAE

Answer 15

• abnormal cochlear functioning, conductive HL or cochlear hearing loss greater than mild in severity
• refer for ABR testing

Question 16

auditory brainstem response (ABR)

Answer 16

test of functional integrity of the auditory nerve up to and including the brainstem

Question 17

ABR: identifiable waveforms with 20 dB stimulus

Answer 17

normal hearing thresholds

Question 18

ABR: identifiable waveforms with 40 dB stimulus

Answer 18

mild sensorineural HL

Question 19

ABR: absent or delayed waveforms

Answer 19

significant HL or retrocochlear pathology

Question 20

pseudohypacusis

Answer 20

false or exaggerated HL

Question 21

pseudohypacusis: other terminology

Answer 21

• malingering
• non-organic HL
• functional HL
• psychogenic HL

Question 22

counseling

Answer 22

• speak in easy to understand language (pitch vs. frequency, etc.)
• use the speech banana audiogram