Diagnostic Audiological Assessment

Diagnostic audiological assessment involves the performance of measurements and procedures that derive information about the middle and inner ear and about auditory–neural pathways. This contributes to establishing a diagnosis and yields information about an individual’s hearing status. It may also yield information that assists in determining the appropriateness of subsequent interventions and therapies. This entry discusses the measurements that are commonly included in diagnostic audiology, how they can be related to each other, and their application to clinical populations.

The measurements and procedures undertaken in diagnostic audiological assessment may be broadly classified into those that require a behavioral response from a patient or client and those that do not. Measurements within the former class include pure-tone and speech audiometry; the latter class of measurements is commonly ...