Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 26, 2026
A Low Cost Setup for Behavioral Audiometry in Rodents
Published on: October 16, 2012
Frequency-specific Animal Sound Test (FAST) 4: A valid method for hearing screening
Antonia Nolte1, Frans Coninx2, Frank Müller1
1Department of Voice, Speech and Hearing Disorders, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Insights
The Frequency-specific Animal Sound Test (FAST4) is effective for preschool hearing screening in children over 4 years old, showing results comparable to pure tone audiometry (PTA). Further improvements are in the mFAST model.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Hearing Screening Technologies
Background:
- Monitoring children's hearing is crucial from birth through school age.
- Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) is standard, but ongoing assessment is vital.
- Assessing hearing in preschool and school-aged children requires appropriate tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the Frequency-specific Animal Sound Test (FAST4) for children aged 2.5–10 years.
- To compare FAST4 hearing thresholds with pure tone audiometry (PTA).
- To determine the clinical utility of FAST4 in pediatric settings.
Main Methods:
- 322 children (2.6–14.1 years) and 41 adults were tested with FAST4 using animal sounds via headphones.
- Hearing thresholds were determined for high and low frequencies using FAST4.
- Children's hearing thresholds were also measured using PTA.
Main Results:
- Analysis included 156 normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children, primarily over 4 years old.
- FAST4 demonstrated comparable hearing levels to PTA in both children and adults.
- FAST4 testing was often prematurely stopped in children younger than 4 years.
Conclusions:
- FAST4 is a promising tool for preschool hearing screening, offering advantages in simplicity and efficiency.
- The test can be administered by non-specialist staff.
- An improved successor model, mFAST, has been developed.
Objectives:
It is essential to monitor hearing status in children not only as a mandatory requirement during universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS), but also later during preschool and school-age development. The present study considers the appropriateness of the Frequency-specific Animal Sound Test (FAST4) for use in children between the ages of 2.5 and 10 years; the comparability of hearing thresholds determined using FAST4 and those measured by pure tone audiometry (PTA); and the clinical and diagnostic utility of FAST4 in a variety of pediatric settings.
Methods:
322 children aged 2.6-14.1 years and 41 adults were tested with FAST4. Four animal sounds were presented via headphones and a hearing threshold was determined for the high and low frequency range. In addition, the hearing threshold of each child was measured by PTA.
Results:
Results were analyzed from 156 normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children, mostly above the age of 4 years. In general, FAST4 yielded hearing levels comparable with those from PTA in children and in adults. FAST4 frequently had to be halted prematurely in children under 4 years old.
Conclusions:
FAST4 is a strong candidate for use as an instrument for preschool hearing screening and offers several advantages over other hearing tests. FAST4 permits simple, swift and efficient determination of the hearing threshold and the test can be administered by staff without specialist training. A number of improvements have already been integrated into the successor model known as mFAST.
More Related Videos
11:39Assessment of Audio-Tactile Sensory Substitution Training in Participants with Profound Deafness Using the Event-Related Potential Technique
Published on: September 7, 2022
06:04Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023
