Tips For Testing Hearing In Children Diagnosed With Autism

If you have a child that is diagnosed with autism, you may have noticed that he or she is having a hard time communicating with you or that you are having a hard time totally understanding what he or she is communicating. This can be frustrating for both you and your child due to the fact that he or she won't be able to get his or her needs met. One commonly missed problem in autistic children is that of hearing loss. You want to be sure that you test your child for hearing loss regularly in case he or she is unable to communicate his or her loss of hearing properly to you. You don't want him or her to miss out on the world. Here are some tips for a successful hearing test for your child who has been diagnosed with autism.

1. Bring What Your Child Likes as Reinforcement

The person performing the hearing test is going to need your help and expertise in order to motivate your child to actually respond to the test. Bring snacks or some other item that your child likes enough to use as reinforcement. This will help the person proctoring the hearing test feel confident that he or she is getting accurate results.

2. Practice the Physical Cue

Call the hearing testing center ahead of time and ask them what the physical cue is that they will ask your child to perform whenever he or she hears a tone. You need to make sure that your child is successfully able to perform this physical action. You can do this by practicing with your child. Play a few moments his or her favorite song and have your child raise his or her hand when he or she hears the song. Then, start playing a single tone on your smartphone or computer and get used to having your child respond physically to that noise. This will help you make sure that you are getting fully accurate testing results.

3. Bring Items for a Break

Hearing testers that are used to working with autistic children will have a card that the child can raise to request a break. This helps prevent the child from getting too tired or frustrated and acting out. Bring snacks, juice, or a toy that the child can use to decompress on the break.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in hearing evaluations.

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