Question: I am nervous, wondering why my doctor suggested a hearing test for my 2-year-old when she has speech delay.
Answer: The first line of intervention for speech delay is to rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor. Recurrent middle ear fluid or infection can temporarily impact a child’s ability to hear the sounds of speech. Then, of course, we must ascertain there is no permanent hearing loss as well. An array of testing methods designed for toddlers will yield reliable information immediately.
At two years old, conditioned play techniques are fun and motivate a response from the child. Subjective computerized testing requires no response at all. When finished, the testing has been painless, results are immediate and produce an accurate estimation of hearing ability.
