A Hearing Screening is a brief test which helps screen people with a possible hearing loss. The screening procedure is merely a tool in determining if the person's hearing is within normal limits in each ear. Hearing screenings take place in a variety of settings: schools, hospitals, industrial settings, and in the workplace.   For school-aged children through adulthood, this is done by having the person respond behaviorally to a series of tones.  For those limited by physical and cognitive development, this is done through either Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) or Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) testing.  If a person is unable to pass a portion of the hearing screening, he or she is then referred for a complete audiological evaluation.

External Links:

Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Fact Sheet- presented by National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management at Utah State University - viewable on Adobe Acrobat