Assessment of Hearimg im Children with Multiple Disabilities and Motor Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the degree of coincidence between a secular change in auditory brainstem evoked responses (ABRs) and the conditioned orientation reflex audiometry (COR) findings in 229 multiply handicapped children with motor disorders. The subjects were all less than 3 years old and had been observed for a period of more than 2 years at the time of the first hearing evaluations. Improvement in Behavioral Hearing Testing minimum response level, including mental and physical development, was observed in 111 cases. There were 92 cases of ABR, and in 37 of them there was no correlation between the ABR and COR findings. The initial diagnosis in 44 patients was moderate to severe hearing loss, and a secular change was observed in 37 of them. The ABR thresholds and the COR minimum reaction level decreased in 11 patients, whereas in 17 patients ABR thresholds remained unchanged and only the COR values decreased. The final diagnosis was moderate to severe hearing loss in 18 patients. Because confirmation of the efficacy of hearing aids takes a lond time and there are fluctuations in hearing levels during the observation period, periodic assessment of hearing is important, using evaluations of mental and physical development as a base.