Having a Visual Reinforcement (VRA) Hearing Test

Your family will come to the Carle ECHO building to have a hearing test. ECHO stands for “Expanding Children’s Hearing Opportunities.”

Your family will check in at the front desk and then sit in the colorful waiting room.

The friendly audiologist will call your child’s name when it’s time for the hearing test.

Your family will walk down the hallway to a special room called a sound booth. It’s very quiet inside the booth. This is what the sound booth looks like. Your child can sit on a parent’s lap or in a chair by themselves.

The audiologist has a special flashlight that she uses to look in people’s ears. She will look in both of your child’s ears.

If your child is upset by this procedure, it can be delayed to the end of the visit.

The audiologist may then do a quick test called tympanometry. She’ll hold a soft rubber plug up to each of your child’s ears to check for fluid. The plug will make a humming sound and in seconds the results will be displayed on a computer screen.

This test can also be delayed to the end of the visit if your child is upset by someone touching their ears.

During the hearing test itself, your child will listen for sounds that come from speakers in the room or from soft earphones that insert into the ears.

An audiologist might sit in the booth with your family to help your child learn the visual reinforcement game. When we play a sound via speaker or earphones, your child will naturally alert and look for the sound’s source. When they do, a toy will light up or a video will come on as a reward for them looking for the sound.

Please note, the doors of the testing booth will be closed during the test.

The room will need to be quiet during the test so your child can listen for soft sounds. Getting a hearing test is lots of fun!