Two techniques that have proven useful for assessment of hearing in older children are based upon the tone-burst auditory brainstem response (TB-ABR), and the auditory steady-state response (ASSR). (This later technique was developed and recently commercialized through the University of Melbourne). This study will address the applicability of these procedures for assessment of healthy full-term, and premature babies in the neonatal and early infant periods.
If as our pilot data suggests (Rance & Tomlin, 2006), the findings show maturation-related response changes through the neonatal period, the study will provide significant insights into the development of the infant auditory pathway, as well as allowing more accurate hearing testing and better clinical outcomes.