RECORDING AUDITORY BRAIN-STEM RESPONSES FROM INFANTS

Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) can be reliably recorded from infa nts in the first few months of life. Since they are normally recogniza ble down to intensities that are 30 dB above normal hearing thresholds , ABRs elicited by clicks are useful in screening for hearing-impairme nt in infancy. The ABRs can also provide further diagnostic informatio n about the hearing losses that are detected by screening: the thresho ld for the response represents a reasonable estimate of the severity o f the hearing loss; bone-conduction studies can assess the extent of a conductive loss; and frequency-specific techniques can evaluate heari ng thresholds at different frequencies. At present, ABRs are mainly us ed for screening infants who have been treated in neonatal intensive c are units. Because the majority of infants with hearing impairment are not seen in these units, it might be worthwhile to use ABRs in a more widespread screening Program.