Utility of the Vivosonic Integrity™ auditory brainstem response system as a hearing screening device for difficult-to-test children.

Objective: Inability to complete a behavioral hearing screening is a challenge for children with developmental disorders or who are otherwise difficult to test, defined here as unable or unwilling to complete a behavioral screening. The study compared referral rates from screenings that used behavioral methods alone, with screenings that added a screen with the Vivosonic Integrity™ auditory brainstem response (ABR) device.

Design: Behavioral screening was performed first. Those children who failed were re-screened with the Vivosonic Integrity ABR device. Changes in referral and screening completion rates after the second screening were calculated and analysed.

Study Sample: The participant population (n = 43) consisted of children with diagnosed developmental disorders.

Results: Adding the Vivosonic Integrity to the screening protocol significantly increased the proportion of children who completed the screening, from 57% after behavioral screening to 81% after behavioral and ABR screening. The addition of the ABR screen did not change that overall pass/refer rate, in part because four participants who did not complete the behavioral screen received a 'Refer' outcome on the ABR screen.

Conclusions: The results indicate that the Vivosonic Integrity device could be a useful tool for hearing screening of children who are difficult to screen using behavioral procedures.