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There are several types of hearing tests. A pediatric audiologist who specializes in evaluating and assisting infants and children with hearing loss will give the test. All of them are painless, and many can be performed while your child sleeps. They should take less than an hour.

Since it is important to have your baby's hearing tested as soon as possible, one of the best times to do it is before your newborn baby even leaves the hospital. Most (but not all) states have enacted legislation that requires hospitals to test all newborn babies’ hearing before they are discharged from the hospital.  However, even with this new legislation, not all children are automatically screened.  To find out about the practice in your state, visit the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association web site at http://professional.asha.org/resources/legislative/ehdi.cfm. 

Hearing screenings for infants generally cost about $30 per child. The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University has a web site that tells you whether or not your insurance or Medicaid is required to pay for the hearing screening in your state: http://www.infanthearing.org/legislative/provisions/coveredbenefit.html.

Hearing is tested differently according to your child’s age, development, and medical status.

Behavioral tests

Behavioral tests work for children who are able to participate in an interactive hearing exam--usually children six months and older. These tests examine your child’s response to different types of sounds.   A high-pitched sound might result in a head turn by a toddler, or an eye movement in an infant, or a hand raised by a preschooler. They measure the quietest tones your child can hear, as well as your child's ability to understand speech at different loudness levels. They also test for the presence of liquid in the middle ear. These tests take less than an hour and measure three things: the degree or amount of hearing loss, the location of the problem (middle or inner ear or both?), and how the hearing loss will affect your child's ability to communicate.

The ABR test works for both infants and older children. In this test, tiny earphones are placed in the baby’s ear canals and emit a clicking sound that measures how well the ear responds to the sounds.  This test is painless, usually takes less than an hour, and can be done while your baby sleeps.

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) test

This short test works well for infants who are either sleeping or quiet.  A probe is placed in the ear canal to measure the ear’s response to pulse sounds that the probe emits.  With this information, a specialist can determine whether the baby’s hearing is normal or not. The test only takes about fifteen minutes.

Tympanometry

This test determines how well the eardrum moves when a soft sound and air pressure are introduced into the ear canal.  This test is usually used to identify middle ear problems, such as fluid collecting behind the eardrum.  Tympanometry cannot test hearing alone; it should be accompanied by an ear and hearing inspection.