STUDIES ON HEARING TEST FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN, ESPECIALLY PURE TONE SCREENING TEST OF HEARL G

Abstract

The accuracy and speed are the important factors in group hearing test for school children.but also they are contradictory each other.The auther presented a new method of screening test for school children with two test tones of 1000 cps and 4000cps at a level of 20 db., which is considered as solution for this contradiction in group hearing test. Five thousand three hundred and eighty-two of school children were tested by this method during 1955-1957.These results were studied by statistical analysis.Test tone of 1000 cps at a level of 20 db. revealed the hearing loss more than 25 db. in 84.5% of the ears, and the hearing loss more than 30 db in 96.2 0 on audiogram. But in 1.5 6 of healthy ears with the hearing loss less than 20 db at 1000 cps incorrect results were obtained.Test tone of 4000 cps at a level of 20 db. revealed the hearing loss more than 25 db in 77.5% of ears, and the hearing loss more than 30db. in 1000 of the ears on audiogram. In 0.3% of healthy ears with the hearing loss less than 20db. at 4000 cps, incorrect results were obtained.Speed to perform the test was about from 80 to 150 children per one hour.This screening test was possible to examine even younger children such as first and second graders, and showed high reliability.This screening teat may be considered to overcome three difficulties in pure tone screening test for the group of children, which were speed of test, need of sound-proof room and exhaution of those to perform the test and tested subjects.This screening test was proved as having high reliability and high speed of test, when this test was performed under quiet circumstance.