Auditory Processing Disorder: Diagnostic Tests

To diagnose auditory processing and perception disorder (AVWS), extensive specialized hearing tests are required:

Different parameters are tested, such as sound discrimination, binaural hearing, the ability to hear in noise, and the ability to remember what is heard.

These tests are performed by special physicians called phoniatrists/pediatric audiologists, as well as some ENT physicians. In addition, it is useful to have other developmental difficulties of the children clarified by the pediatrician or child and adolescent psychiatrist, such as an attention deficit, a reading and spelling disability and a reduction in intelligence. The examination to exclude AVWS should only be carried out shortly before school enrollment, as the tests produce more accurate results with increasing age.

Mandatory medical device diagnostics.

  • Recruitment measurement – representation of objective hearing for different sounds.
  • Otoacoustic emissions – objective representation of the response of the inner ear to various stimuli.
  • ERA (Electric Response Audiometry) – objective representation of the response of the inner ear to various stimuli.
  • Sound audiogram – representation of subjective hearing for different sounds.

Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.

  • Computed tomography (CT) – sectional imaging method (X-ray images from different directions with computer-based evaluation), particularly well suited for imaging of bony injuries.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – computer-assisted cross-sectional imaging procedure (using magnetic fields, i.e. without X-rays); particularly well suited for changes in the spinal cord and brain.