In Brief:
Estimation of bone-conduction hearing thresholds in young sleeping infants poses unique challenges. The overall objective of these experiments was to investigate procedures used when estimating bone-conduction thresholds in infants. Specifically, this study investigated: (i) variability in the amount of force applied using the two common bone-oscillator coupling methods (elastic-hand, hand-held), and whether coupling method affects estimation of bone-conduction thresholds in infants and adults, (ii) effects of bone-oscillator placement location on bone-conduction ASSR thresholds in young infants, and (iii) whether the occlusion effect is present in infants. We found no significant differences in variability of force applied to the oscillator and no difference in bone-conduction thresholds for infants or adults between coupling methods. We found no differences in ASSRs when the oscillator was positioned high or low on the temporal bone; however, thresholds were higher and amplitudes were smaller for the forehead placement compared to the temporal bone placements. Finally, there did not appear to be a significant occlusion effect in young infants. These findings have clinical implications for “best practices” for bone-canduction testing in infants.
