Hearing Screening and Hearing Evaluation | What's the Difference?

What Is a Hearing Screening?

A hearing screening is a quick and simple way to identify if you may have a hearing loss. You either pass or do not pass the screening. You can ask your doctor about getting a hearing screening if you have any concerns. Screenings may also be available at health fairs or at your child’s school.

Think of a hearing screening as a first step. It doesn’t diagnose anything—it lets you know whether more testing is needed. If you pass the screening and have no other hearing concerns, you can continue with regularly scheduled hearing screenings. If you do not pass, or if you have other concerns about your hearing, you may need more in-depth testing. The next step is a hearing evaluation.

How Often Do You Need a Hearing Screening?

• All newborns should have a hearing screening shortly after birth. The screening is simple and painless and can be completed while the infant is resting or sleeping. Finding hearing loss early is important. If it goes untreated, hearing loss can affect your child's development.
• Young children should have their hearing checked regularly, especially if the child has a speech delay or frequent ear infections, or if a parent or teacher has a concern.
• Hearing screenings for school-aged children often happen at school, but it’s a good idea to talk to your child’s doctor any time you have a concern.
• Adults should consider getting regular hearing screenings, especially if they are exposed to loud noise, have new hearing concerns, or have health conditions that may be connected to hearing loss.

Regular hearing checks play an important role in maintaining your overall health and well-being. Try ASHA's free online hearing screener to quickly check for possible hearing loss.

What’s a Hearing Evaluation?

A hearing evaluation is a more in-depth and personalized test done by an audiologist. Audiologists are health care professionals trained in hearing and balance disorders.

What happens at a hearing evaluation? The audiologist will ask you about your medical history and your hearing concerns. Next, the audiologist will look into your ears using a light, called an otoscope. This procedure is to check if there is anything in your ear—like wax, objects, or signs of infection—that will interfere with the hearing test.

The audiologist will do different tests to answer the following questions:

• Do you have a hearing loss, and what type of hearing loss do you have?
• What may be causing your hearing loss?
• How severe is your hearing loss in each ear?
• What are ways to manage your hearing loss?

There's no standard approach for a hearing evaluation. Instead, the audiologist tailors the evaluation to your needs. It can involve:

• listening to different tones and pitches to see how each ear hears different sounds
• speech testing in quiet and noise to see how well you hear and understand spoken words
• middle ear tests to check for fluid or eardrum movement

Your audiologist will go over all of your test results with you. The results will provide information about how well you hear in each ear and about your current hearing problems. Your audiologist may recommend that you do one or more of the following:

• See a doctor that specializes in the ear (known as an ENT) for further testing of your ears and hearing.
• Use a hearing aid.
• Set up a meeting at your child’s school to talk about your child’s hearing and needs.
• Use assistive listening devices.
• Work on hearing skills with an audiologist or speech-language pathologist (SLP).

Why Are Hearing Screenings and Evaluations Important?

Hearing loss can happen at any age. Regular hearing screenings and hearing evaluations can help you keep track of your hearing and get help when you need it. It is important to find and treat hearing loss as early as possible.

To find an audiologist near you, visit ProFind.