Understanding an Audiology Report
The Purpose of Audiology Reports:
- The purpose of an Audiology Report is to help parents, interventionists, and physicians understand an individual’s hearing status. Sometimes it is difficult for an audiologist to write a report that is meaningful and useful to all three audiences, which can make the report difficult to understand as a parent. The Wyoming EHDI Program and Child Development Center personnel can help you to better understand your child’s hearing loss and the information on their Audiology Report.
What to Look for in an Audiology Report:
- Is the report complete?
- What tests were done?
- Were the test that were done appropriate for the child?
- Were there any specific test(s) that should have been done, but were not?
- Is the diagnosis correct?
- Does the report address the hearing status of each ear?
- Are the recommendations consistent with the findings?
- Are timely follow-up appointments established when necessary?
- Are referrals made to the appropriate educational facilities?
- Does the report clearly state the “next step” for the parents?
What Is An Audiogram?
- When hearing is tested, the audiologist keeps track of exactly which tones each ear hears. Although some audiologists use a different form, most use a standard graph called the audiogram. The audiogram is a visual picture of what the ear hears.
- The vertical lines on an audiogram represent pitch or frequency. The 125 Hertz (Hz) vertical line on the left side of the audiogram represents a very low pitch sound and each vertical line to the right represents a higher pitch sound. Moving from left to right on the audiogram would be consistent with moving from left to right on a piano keyboard. The most important pitches for speech are 500-4000 Hz.
- The horizontal lines represent loudness or intensity. The 0 decibel (dB) line near the top of the audiogram represents an extremely soft sound. Each horizontal line below represents a louder sound. Moving from the top to the bottom would be consistent with hitting the piano key harder or turning up the volume control on your stereo.
- The softest sound you are able to hear at each pitch is recorded on the audiogram. The softenst sound you are able to hear is called your threshold. Thresholds of 0-25 dB are considered normal for adults and thresholds of 0-15 dB are considered normal for children.
- The X’s on an audiogram represent the left ear and the O’s represent the right ear.
