How to Do a Hearing Screening

Hearing screenings are important for people of all ages. Often people don't realize that they are hearing below the average level until they are informed after testing. Hearing impairments can cause problems in educational and professional settings. Many jobs, such as those that require use of radio or audio transmissions, require an individual to be able to hear at an average range. In educational settings, people with low hearing capabilities can have a hard time understanding their teachers and classmates, and have speech issues.

Things You'll Need

• Quiet space
• Tester
• Table
• Two chairs
• Audiometer
• Practice test taker
• Test taker

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Instructions

• 1

  Choose a quiet room--a room without loud furnaces, music, or excessive outdoor noise such as noisy highways. While you set up the space, listen for sounds such as water running or voices from nearby rooms or business spaces. Find another room if sounds are a problem.

• 2

  Equip the room with a table, two chairs, and an audiometer. An audiometer is the device that will create small noises, such as dings or buzzes, for the hearing test. Make sure that a qualified professional has calibrated the audiometer within the past few months. For accurate results, your audiometer should be calibrated three or four times per year. Start by giving yourself, or someone else with adequate hearing, the test before performing it on a test-taking individual.

• 3

  Review the directions for your audiometer. Practice operating the machine before giving the test. Most audiometers are basic in that they require you to press one of three to five buttons to produce sounds.

• 4

  Bring in the test subject. Sit him across from you at the table. Explain how the test will work. Some people choose to test both ears at once while others choose to test one ear at a time. Clarify what type of noise the test taker can expect to hear; audiometers vary. Be specific in how you prefer the test taker to indicate that he is hearing a noise--a hand raise, a nod, or a finger tap, for example.

• 5

  Have your test subject put the earphones on correctly. The right earpiece should be on the right ear and vice versa. Begin the test.