Auditory Response Brainstem Hearing Test for Babies

How old must a child be before a reliable hearing test can be done?

Children can be tested as young as birth with special tests called Auditory Response Brainstem testing (ABR). Other names for this test are: BSER (Brainstem-Evoked Response testing) and AEP (Auditory-Evoked Potentials testing). This test does not require the child to be awake and alert. In fact, this test is done while the child/infant is sleeping. It gives information about how the sounds are passed from the outer ear to the brainstem. If there is significant hearing loss (mild to severe/profound), test results will indicate that.

As far as traditional hearing tests, there are some children as young as three years who can tolerate wearing earphones and respond to tones as instructed. For the most part, this testing is done beginning around the age of three and a half and up. For children younger than that, testing is usually done by observing behavior changes when tones or speech are presented and/or giving a visual reinforcer when the child looks for the sound (presented through speakers in the sound room). This testing gives information about overall hearing but not hearing in each ear separately.

If hearing loss is suspected at any age, it is advisable to use a combination of AEP testing and more traditional testing to confirm results.