The ability to hear things is a feature of most animals on earth. For humans, this sense is of particular importance when it comes to communication and entertainment. These advanced forms of behavior depend on the functioning of an individual's ears, nerve transmitters and brain. A lack of proper hearing can affect the individual's quality of life greatly. It is therefore best to determine this problem exists as early as possible. This will ensure that there is a swift and efficient learning of alternative forms of communication both by the patient and by the family of the patient.
For adults and older children, a hearing test involves the oral response of the subject to sounds that are played through headphones placed over the ears of the subject. The subject will also be kept in a sound proof room during the test. The responses of the subject are checked against the sounds played to determine if the individual is hearing properly. This type of hearing test is not applicable to toddlers and babies. The hearing test for babies is more complicated as babies tend not to be able to respond in a reliable and accurate manner to all sounds that have been played. Therefore, the hearing test for babies requires the use of advanced medical equipment.
One type of hearing test for babies involves the use of electrodes that are placed on the head of the baby. These electrodes will pick up brain activity as a variety of sounds are played for the child. In a healthy child, the sounds should produce nerve signals that will be picked up by the electrodes. These nerve signals should pass into the hearing center of the brain. This type of hearing test for babies can pick up abnormalities relating to the functioning of the inner ear, the nerve system and the brain.
Another type of hearing test for a baby involves the use of a probe that is placed inside each ear. This probe will detect the echo and reverberation taking place in the ear. If there is a problem with the ear membrane, this should be picked up using this type of baby hearing testing. Based on this hearing test for babies and other hearing tests, the conclusion about the baby's condition can be made. Treatment options may or may not exist if the baby failed the hearing test, and these can be examined by both parents and doctors. In most cases, babies with bad hearing will be taught using alternative teaching methods as they grow up.