Study of the auditory abilities and the acoustic immittance measurements in children of 4 to 6 years of age

• Grant number: 07/01370-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2007
• End date: July 31, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Speech Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Adriana Ribeiro Tavares
• Grantee: Adriana Ribeiro Tavares
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

It is important that the child is capable to give attention, to detect, to discriminate and to locate sounds, besides memorizing and integrating auditory experiences. Imperfections in these abilities can intervene with its acquisition and development of the language, modifying its development, social, psychic and educational. In the last years special tests that they do not need sophisticated equipment to be applied and can be used as selection of the auditory processing had been developed, as the tests of sound localization in five directions, tests of memory for sounds in verbal and not-verbal sequence. A floating hearing, as the caused one for otitis media, can provoke enormous damages on the acquisition and development of the language, a time that the auditory abilities that depend on a good quality of the hearing can be modified in these children, as difficulties to locate the sound source, to understand says it in noise presence, to keep the attention and to follow the instructions given in classroom. Knowing that the abilities of sound localization, verbal and not-verbal sequential memory are occurred important processes in first the six seven years of life and that they contribute for the knowledge of the sounds of says e, they guarantee the acquisition and the learning of the language system, one in the ways to carry through a preventive work in children in pertaining to school age would be the inquiry of the auditory abilities as, detention, sound localization and auditory memory in children of 4 the 6 years of age. Associated to this, a immittance screening must also be carried through, therefore this method can identify decurrent alterations of the otitis media. (AU)