Respiration audiometry with pre-school children

Respiration audiometry with a strain gauge writeout on a dynograph was attempted with 12 children aged 3 yrs 6 mo to 4 yrs 11 mo. Test signals were at 1 kc/s of 1 sec duration presented at the beginning of a respiratory cycle, from --10 to 40 db HL in 2 ascending series (test and retest). Both series could be completed on only 5 Ss, due to interruptive behavior patterns. Of all 105 presentations, 13 were judged positive; of these, 9 were at levels lower than the play audiometry HTL (false-positive). For no S could a respiration audiometry HTL be reasonably estimated. Due to the low ratio of respiratory responses at or above behavioral HTL, the low rate of test completion for the majority of preschool Ss, and the presence of significant numbers of false-positive responses, it was recommended that further research be carried out before respiration audiometry is seriously considered or he paedoaudiologic clinic.