Screening selected auditory deficits in speech- and language-impaired children

This study was done at the University of Michigan Shady Trails Camp, in an intensive 6-wk summer treatment program. Children aged 8.5-18.3 yrs (54 M, 13 F) with communicative impairments, but with no known hearing losses, were screened audiometrically ("Fail" = lack of response at 20 db HTL from 0.5-8 kc/s), and with tympanometry. There was an unexpectedly high incidence (70.1%) of current auditory problems among children with language, articulation, and fluency disorders. An even higher percentage of children was identified as having auditory problems among those children who were also learning disabled. Speech- and language-impaired children should be considered a "high risk" population and their auditory functioning should be monitored frequently. However, pure-tone screening alone identified only 6, while tympanometry identified 28, of the 47 children who failed one or both screens. With the 6 children who failed the pure-tone screen, but passed tympanometry, it was conjectured that the objective measurements inherent in tympanometry may be preferable to the subjective measurements inherent in pure-tone screening with children who may have difficulty understanding or remembering test instructions, or maintaining attention to the task. Inasmuch as sensorineural deficits are not detected by tympanometry alone, the combined battery was judged preferable to using either screen alone.