Early identification and diagnosis of hearing loss in infants and young children is the first step toward appropriate and effective intervention and is critical for optimal communicative and psychosocial development. Limitations of behavioral assessment techniques in pediatric populations necessitate the use of an objective test battery to enable complete and accurate assessment of auditory function. Since the introduction of the cross-check principle 35 years ago, the pediatric diagnostic test battery has expanded to include, in addition to behavioral audiometry, acoustic immittance measures, otoacoustic emissions, and multiple auditory evoked responses (auditory brainstem response, auditory steady state response, and electrocochleography). We offer a concise description of a modern evidence-based audiological test battery that permits early and accurate diagnosis of auditory dysfunction.
