PEDIATRICS Vol. 40 No. 6 December 1967, pp. 1003-1008
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CLINICAL APPLICATION OF THE AUDITORY AVERAGED EVOKED RESPONSE AT SLEEP ONSET IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF DEAFNESS

Edward R. Ritvo M.D.1, Edward M. Ornitz M.D.1, and Richard D. Walter M.D.1

1 Division of Child Psychiatry, U.C.L.A. School of Medicine, Los Angeles

A consistent and well defined high amplitude auditory averaged evoked response (AER) was found at sleep onset in all of 31 children (ages 2 to 12 years) and in 6 out of 7 babies (ages 7 to 15 months) without clinical evidence of deafness. Thirteen of the 31 children were diagnosed as having the syndrome of early infantile autism and could not be reliably tested while awake.

Three emotionally disturbed children in whom deafness had been suspected but not definitely established showed no auditory AER at sleep onset. This finding supported the diagnosis of a severe hearing loss.

There is a consistent enhancement of the auditory AER at sleep onset. Thus, measuring the AER during this stage of consciousness is suggested as a method of establishing the diagnosis of profound hearing loss in young, uncooperative, or emotionally disturbed children. Such a procedure will minimize the occurrence of false negative results.

Submitted on May 2, 1967
Accepted on July 25, 1967