Echo-Screen® III Facts for Parents Frequently Asked Echo-Screen III Questions What is the Echo-Screen III Hearing Screener? The Echo-Screen III Hearing Screener is a small, portable device designed to screen babies, infants, children, and adults for hearing loss. How does the Echo-Screen III device work? The Echo-Screen device uses special AOAE (Otoacoustic Emissions or OAE) and ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response) technologies for testing patients. One or a combination of both these technologies may be used to screen for hearing loss. Both technologies are fully automated, allowing the Echo-Screen device to provide automatic pass/refer results and fixed screening parameters. A person does not need to interpret results or have special technical skills to operate the Echo-Screen device. With AOAE technology, the Echo-Screen device delivers clicks or tone bursts through your child’s ear canal via a probe, which is inserted within his/her ear. Your child’s inner ear (i.e., cochlea) generates sound waves in response to the clicks or tone bursts. The ear probe then measures and records the sound wave responses of your child’s cochlea. The Echo-Screen device analyzes your child’s response and automatically gives a PASS or REFER result. With ABR technology, the Echo-Screen device sends soft clicking sounds to your child’s ears through either an ear probe or earphones. Sensors placed on your child’s skin pick up the responses to the sound from his/her brain and send them back to the Echo-Screen device, where they are analyzed. The device then automatically gives a PASS or REFER result. What does PASS/REFER mean? A PASS result indicates that your child’s hearing correlates to levels required for speech and language development at the time of the screen. A REFER result indicates that further testing is required. A REFER result does not necessarily mean that your child has a hearing loss. In some instances, a REFER result can be due to poor testing conditions such as debris in the patient’s ear canal or a noisy environment. What happens if my child REFERS? If your child refers either ear, the screen is usually repeated. If a REFER result is present after the repeat screen, a diagnostic test is performed at a later date to determine the location and extent of the hearing loss. Is the test painful to my child? No. Testing with the Echo-Screen device is painless. How long does the test take? The screening takes approximately 2 minutes, depending on the state of your child and the testing environment. Where can I get more information about hearing loss? For more detailed information on hearing loss and the testing options that are available, contact your designated healthcare provider. This information is provided for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for the routine medical care and advice of your healthcare provider. Natus…Where Babies Come First.™ Natus Medical Incorporated 1501 Industrial Road San Carlos, CA 94070 USA 1-800-303-0306 +1-650-802-0400 www.natus.com Visit our NERVE Center® education portal at nervecenter.natus.com © 2014 Natus Medical Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. All product names appearing on this document are trademarks or registered trademarks owned, licensed to, promoted or distributed by Natus Medical Incorporated, its subsidiaries or affi