Differential Diagnosis of Auditory Deficits—A Review of the Literature

The differential diagnosis of young children with communication disorders is one of the more difficult and germinal tasks confronting speech and hearing personnel today. Audiological assessment should provide quantitative and qualitative information about auditory responses and behavior that can point up other clues to the total diagnosis. A review of the literature reveals that consistency of auditory response is frequently cited as one characteristic that distinguishes children with peripheral hearing loss (reported to be consistent) and children with CNS auditory disorders such as aphasia (reported to be inconsistent).