Audiometry Course

Lesson 1 • Auditory Neural Pathways

Traces the auditory signal from the cochlear nerve to the cortex. Supports understanding of retrocochlear and central auditory disorders.

Lesson 2 • Physics of Sound and Acoustics

Covers frequency, intensity, wavelength, and decibel scales. Establishes the acoustic vocabulary used throughout all subsequent audiometric procedures.

Lesson 3 • Inner Ear and Cochlear Mechanics

Explores cochlear anatomy, basilar membrane tonotopy, and hair cell function. Links inner ear physiology to frequency-specific hearing sensitivity.

Lesson 4 • Psychoacoustics and Hearing Perception

Introduces loudness, pitch, masking, and temporal resolution as perceptual phenomena. Grounds clinical test interpretation in listener perception.

Lesson 1 • Types of Audiometers

Distinguishes screening, diagnostic, and portable audiometers by capability and clinical use. Guides appropriate instrument selection for each testing context.

Lesson 2 • Transducers and Accessories

Covers supra-aural, insert, and bone conduction transducers plus sound field speakers. Explains how transducer choice affects test validity and patient comfort.

Lesson 3 • Test Environment Requirements

Specifies ambient noise limits and room treatment for valid audiometry. Connects environmental control to the accuracy of threshold measurements.

Lesson 1 • Degree and Configuration of Hearing Loss

Classifies hearing loss by degree and audiometric configuration. Provides the descriptive framework used in clinical reports and referrals.

Lesson 2 • Air Conduction Testing Procedures

Applies the modified Hughson-Westlake ascending method to obtain air conduction thresholds. Establishes the primary measure of overall hearing sensitivity.

Lesson 3 • Patient Preparation and Instructions

Covers otoscopy, case history, and clear patient instructions before testing. Reduces procedural errors and improves threshold reliability.

Lesson 4 • Audiogram Recording and Symbols

Introduces standardised audiogram symbols, axes, and colour conventions. Accurate recording enables consistent communication among clinicians.

Lesson 1 • Plateau Method for Air Conduction Masking

Applies the Hood plateau method to determine valid masked air conduction thresholds. Prevents over-masking and under-masking errors systematically.

Lesson 2 • Cross-Hearing and the Need for Masking

Explains interaural attenuation and shadow curves that necessitate masking. Identifies test conditions where unmasked thresholds are unreliable.

Lesson 3 • Masking Noise Types and Levels

Compares narrowband noise, speech noise, and white noise for masking applications. Guides selection of the appropriate masker for each test type.

Lesson 4 • Masking in Speech Audiometry

Extends masking principles to speech recognition and threshold testing. Maintains test ear isolation during speech-based audiometric measures.

Lesson 1 • Interpreting Speech Audiometry Results

Integrates SRT, word recognition, and noise scores into a diagnostic profile. Supports differential diagnosis and hearing aid candidacy decisions.

Lesson 2 • Speech Recognition Threshold Testing

Teaches ascending and descending methods for obtaining the speech recognition threshold. Validates pure-tone average and confirms audiogram reliability.

Lesson 3 • Speech in Noise Testing

Measures speech understanding in competing noise to reflect real-world listening. Identifies patients who struggle beyond what pure-tone thresholds predict.

Lesson 4 • Word Recognition Score Testing

Administers monosyllabic word lists at suprathreshold levels to measure speech clarity. Differentiates cochlear from retrocochlear dysfunction patterns.

Lesson 1 • Acoustic Reflex Threshold Testing

Measures ipsilateral and contralateral acoustic reflex thresholds across frequencies. Identifies abnormal reflex patterns associated with middle ear and neural disorders.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Acoustic Immittance

Defines impedance, admittance, and compliance as they apply to middle ear measurement. Provides the physical basis for interpreting tympanograms and reflex results.

Lesson 3 • Tympanometry Procedures and Interpretation

Conducts tympanometry and classifies results using the Jerger tympanogram types. Links tympanogram shape to specific middle ear conditions.

Lesson 4 • Acoustic Reflex Decay Testing

Administers reflex decay to detect retrocochlear pathology through adaptation. Complements audiogram and speech findings in the diagnostic battery.

Lesson 1 • Distortion Product OAE Procedures

Administers DPOAE protocols using f1/f2 frequency ratios and L1/L2 level parameters. Provides frequency-specific cochlear assessment across the audiometric range.

Lesson 2 • OAE Interpretation and Limitations

Identifies conditions that produce absent OAEs despite normal audiograms and vice versa. Prevents misinterpretation by clarifying OAE sensitivity and specificity.

Lesson 3 • OAEs in Clinical and Screening Programs

Integrates OAEs into newborn, occupational, and diagnostic hearing programmes. Demonstrates how OAEs complement the full audiometric test battery.

Lesson 4 • Physiological Basis of OAEs

Explains how outer hair cell motility generates measurable acoustic energy in the ear canal. Establishes why OAEs reflect cochlear status independent of neural function.

Lesson 1 • Functional Hearing Loss Detection

Applies Stenger test, inconsistency analysis, and OAE cross-check to identify non-organic hearing loss. Protects diagnostic accuracy and appropriate resource allocation.

Lesson 2 • Differential Diagnosis of Hearing Loss Types

Distinguishes conductive, sensorineural, and mixed hearing loss using air-bone gap analysis. Integrates immittance and OAE data to confirm the diagnostic category.

Lesson 3 • Patient Counselling on Audiometric Results

Delivers results using accessible language, visual aids, and teach-back techniques. Empowers patients to make informed decisions about hearing management.

Lesson 4 • Etiological Patterns on the Audiogram

Recognises audiometric signatures of noise exposure, presbycusis, Meniere's disease, and ototoxicity. Guides appropriate medical referral based on pattern recognition.