[Hearing of small children. Satisfactory testing at health centers?].

Of 803 four-year-old children tested, audiometric screening detected ten with secretory otitis media necessitating operation and one child with sensorineural loss of hearing. Control showed audiometer calibrations and noise levels during screening to be within acceptable limits. The anamnestic information ought to be improved by asking direct questions about hearing disabilities at all age levels as part of the screening procedure. The one child with sensorineural hearing loss should have been detected earlier. Perhaps we place too much trust in the methods used to test young childrens' hearing. It may be wise to look more closely into the methods and routines used to screen for hearing defects at one year of age.