Abstract
CURRENT audiometric techniques in infants and children have been directed along objective lines. Research in skin-resistance electroaudiometry and electroencephalographic arousal responses are outstanding examples of this laudable trend. Experienced observers, however, realize some of the shortcomings of these techniques and base their hearing diagnoses in children upon combined observations. These usually also include responses to startle-reflex techniques. The startle response to a sound behind the patient is as old as human observation. From the days of antiquity crude startle responses have been used to detect hearing losses, even in adults. Recently, this technique has been refined so that startle responses can be made quantitative by the use of a free-field speaker source with attenuation. This has been a valuable step forward and makes the observations far more useful. For the past 18 months I have further modified this technique to include a directional component. This has been made possible by

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: