title: Efficacy of earphones for 12- to 24-month-old children during visual reinforcement audiometry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Efficacy of insert and supra-aural earphones during visual reinforcement audiometry (VRA) was investigated for 12- to 24-month-old children.
  
  
  METHODS
  VRA testing began in the soundfield and transitioned to either insert or supra-aural earphones. Audiologists recorded threshold estimates, participant behaviors, and an overall subjective rating of earphone acceptance.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty-six 12- to 24-month-old children referred to the Department of Audiology at St. Louis Children's Hospital for a variety of reasons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Subjective ratings indicated high acceptance of insert earphones (84%) and supra-aural earphones (80%) despite negative behaviors. There was no significant difference in the number of threshold estimates based on earphone type for 12- to 17-month-old participants. Participants in the 18- to 24-month-old age group provided significantly more threshold estimates with insert earphones (mean = 5.3 threshold estimates, SD = 3.5) than with supra-aural earphones (mean = 2.9 threshold estimates, SD = 2.9). All seven participants who rejected earphone placement were successfully reconditioned for soundfield testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data support the use of insert earphones during VRA, especially with 18-to 24-month-old children, to obtain ear-specific information.
authors.affiliation: a Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , Missouri , USA .
authors.forename: Allyson D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: b Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , Missouri , USA , and.|c Department of Audiology , St. Louis Children's Hospital , St. Louis , Missouri , USA.
authors.forename: Roanne K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Karzon
authors.affiliation: b Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , Missouri , USA , and.
authors.forename: Banan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ead
authors.affiliation: b Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery , Washington University School of Medicine , St. Louis , Missouri , USA , and.
authors.forename: Judith E C
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lieu
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D000367:Age Factors; D001299:Audiometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D001307:Auditory Perception; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior; D008297:Male; D008923:Missouri; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014796:Visual Perception
keywords: Visual reinforcement audiometry; hearing assessment; insert earphones; pediatrics; supra-aural earphones; young children