Audiva products

The HearScreener

Screening Hearing Ability

• An automated screening tool to assess hearing levels:-
  • 5 frequencies screened in 3-4 minutes
  • 10 frequencies screened in 6-7 minutes
• Volume range from -12dB to 30dB
• Left ear and right ear screened separately
• Results downloadable to PC for printing, interpretation and record keeping.
• Automation allows for screening by non-specialists.
• For specialists a manual option to check each frequency and volume level.

Why HearScreener?

HearScreener offers you the ability to conduct a quick and easy hearing test. Whilst not a replacement for a full audiological assessment, HearScreener can be used to rapidly assess hearing levels.

The results from the HearScreener can then be used to make a case for referral to an Audiologist for a full and detailed examination.

Normal hearing levels are considered to be in a range up to +30dB. Results outside this level would be classified by an audiologist as at least mild hearing loss.

HearScreener quickly tests hearing ability from -12dB to +30dB across a range of frequencies.

HearScreener can be a powerful additional screening tool for:-

• Support for Learning staff and classroom Teachers.
• School Nurses conducting hearing screening.
• Therapists working with auditory stimulation and sound therapy programmes.
• Anyone wishing to check hearing levels as part of a wider assessment of function.

There is a clear difference between hearing and listening. Many children with normal hearing levels have problems with the active processing of auditory information – this is listening.

If you work with children experiencing challenges in:-

• Learning
• Listening
• Concentration
• Memory and sequencing

it is important to be able to discount hearing problems. HearScreener quickly checks that hearing is within normal ranges.

The HearScreener can be a useful addition to the Baseline Assessment of all children in a Primary School.

Speech is one of the main communication mediums for humans. Phonemes, the main constituents of consonants and vowels, are themselves made up of often complex combinations of pure tones. So, hearing ability is assessed by an Audiologist using an audiometer which produces pure tones measured in two components:-

1. Tone / Pitch or Frequency: measured in Hertz : the symbol is Hz
2. Volume: measured in Decibels : the symbol is dB

A key part of the audiological assessment is to find the Threshold, or lowest volume, at which the individual Tones can be identified across a range generally covering 125Hz to 8000Hz. HearScreener emulates an audiometer for this task and uses a quick, automated programme to screen key frequencies within this range. The child being screened interacts with the HearScreener via the button on a computer type mouse.

What you see on the HearScreener display during a screening:

Each tone starts at + 00dB; increasing by 5dB until a mouse button response. Automatically HearScreener tries that level less 5dB, then further reduces by 5dB until it gets no response. It will then hunt up in 5dB steps for a response. If the response is at +00dB it will hunt down through -06dB; -08dB to -12dB.
To simplify interpretation, the HearScreener is calibrated so that the Standard Hearing Curve is represented as a straight line at +00dB.

With the Manual Option there is the facility to check for indicators of the threshold at each frequency using tones in either 5dB or 2.5dB steps.

Recording the data from a screening

The HearScreener Kit offers 2 methods of recording the results:-

1. By downloading the data from the HS into a PC (see example below)
2. By using the “Screening Record Sheet” to create a manual record.

Above is an example of one of the available printouts. Each ‘x’ indicates where the child responded to hearing a tone in the headphones by pressing the button.

The HearScreener kit consists of:-

A HearScreener, 1 set of special headphones, a computer type mouse, a USB cable for connection to a PC, software CD-ROM, a set of detailed instructions.

PC system requirements for this software:-
Windows XP / 2000 / ME / 98Se; USB 1.1 connector; CD-ROM drive;
Minimum 64mbs of free memory.

Price and ordering details

The price of each HearScreener kit is £360 (delivery to a UK address included).

To order contact:-

Ladder of Learning
PO Box 13116
EYEMOUTH TD14 9AE

Or by Email: info@ladderoflearning.co.uk.

 

For more...

• Order Audiva Products from Ladder of Learning
• Email audiva@ladderoflearning.co.uk for more info
• For further background info please visit:
  www.audiva.org (limited product range, English) or
  www.audiva.de (fuller range, German).
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