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Audiology Service | Auckland | Te Toka Tumai | Te Whatu Ora

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Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) is a behavioural audiometric test obtained in a sound-proof room.

This test is used for children between the age of 6 months through to 2 1/2 years old. Your child is seated on your lap or at a small table in front of a calibrated loudspeaker, or wearing headphones. When a sound is presented, the infant's head-turn response toward the sound source is rewarded by activation of a puppet mounted near the loudspeaker. Your child's attention  is then distracted back to the midline so that additional sounds can be presented.

Any test performed through loudspeakers rather than headphones is called "sound field" audiometry and does not test each ear separately; rather, sound field audiometry yields an audiogram for the better-hearing ear if there happens to be an ear difference in hearing. However, if your child tolerates wearing earphones, then each ear can be assessed seperately.

This page was last updated at 2:10PM on February 13, 2024.