Audiometric Characteristics of Children and Adults
Andrea Pittman, Ph.D.Patricia Stelmachowicz, Ph.D.
Boys Town National Research Hospital
Funded by a grant from NIH
Possible Adult-Child Differences
Audiometric Configurations Right-Left Ear Asymmetry of Hearing Loss Progression of Hearing Loss
Methods
Groups 248 audiograms from 60- and 61-year-old
adults 227 audiograms from 6-year-old children
Criteria Right ear thresholds at octave test
frequencies 250-8 kHz At least one threshold > 30 dB Confirmed right ear sensorinueral hearing
loss by bone conduction audiometry Air-bone gaps < 10 dB.
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Audiogram Classification
Sloping Rising Flat U-Shaped Noise Notched
Tent-Shaped Other
0
20
40
60
80
100
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Results: Configurations
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
% O
F AU
DIO
GR
AMS
AdultsChildren
Results: Average Audiograms
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Sloping
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Sloping
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Sloping
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Flat
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: U-Shaped
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: U-Shaped
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Tent-Shaped
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Tent-Shaped
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Other
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Other
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Other
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Other
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Results: Other
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
Frequency (Hz)
Heari
ng L
evel (d
B H
L)
Adults Children
Asymmetry
Left Ear Thresholds 248 60- and 61-year-old adults 227 6-year-old children
Results: Asymmetry
0
10
20
30
40
250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000
FREQUENCY (Hz)
% O
F AU
DIO
GR
AM
S
AdultsChildren
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
Left
Ear
(dB H
L)
Results: Asymmetry @ 250 Hz
Adults Children
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
Left
Ear
(dB H
L)
Results: Asymmetry @ 500 Hz
Adults Children
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
Left
Ear
(dB H
L)
Results: Asymmetry @ 1k Hz
Adults Children
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
Left
Ear
(dB H
L)
Results: Asymmetry @ 2k Hz
Adults Children
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
Left
Ear
(dB H
L)
Results: Asymmetry @ 4k Hz
Adults Children
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Right Ear (dB HL)
Left
Ear
(dB H
L)
Results: Asymmetry @ 8k Hz
Adults Children
