Background:
The accuracy of pure tone audiometry is important for the success of auditory assessments and in monitoring rehabilitation programs for auditory disorders. Studies have reported that pushing a button as a response mode has a significant effect on pure tone thresholds in subjects with normal and impaired hearing. We therefore assumed that a push-button response mode may negatively impact pure tone threshold measurement in subjects with intellectual disability (ID) owing to their impaired cognition and poor motor coordination. The current study compares in persons with ID the number of presentations, number of false alarms, test duration, and participant preference across three response modes during audiometry.

Material and Methods:
Air-conduction thresholds were measured for each response mode – push button, hand raise, and verbal – at octave intervals between 500 and 2000 Hz in the right ear of 14 children with intellectual disability. The order of the response mode was randomly assigned to three subgroups.

Results:
The results indicated that among ID subjects a verbal response yielded a threshold in significantly less time. There was a significant preference for using the verbal response. Children who were assigned a push button or hand raise also responded with a verbal response. For push button participants, this occurred before the button was pushed and for the hand raising participants, a verbal response occurred before the button push.

Conclusions:
The study finds verbal responses more beneficial in measuring auditory thresholds in children with ID.