Speech testing in hearing services

What are speech tests?

When checking your child’s hearing and hearing aids we might need to do speech testing.

This is not to test how they speak but instead how well they hear speech sounds. We may do this with their hearing aids and without.

To do a speech test your child will need to understand some simple words and sounds. It would be helpful if you could practice these words and sounds with your child in between appointments.

If they have a Teacher of the Deaf they can also practice these with them.

Ling sounds

The ling sounds are different sounds from low to high pitch. We use these sounds to test if your child can hear them and identify the correct sound when asked.

How can I help?

You can help your child by placing the pictures on the table in front of your child. Stand behind your child so they cannot see your mouth. Ask them to point to the sound they hear.

McCormick toy test

The McCormick test uses of 14 toys that are paired because their names sound similar. We use these words to test what level your child can hear them and whether they can identify the correct toy when asked. It can be really helpful if you teach your child these words in between appointments.

The pairs are:

• key and tree
• fork and horse
• spoon and shoe
• plate and plane
• lamb and man
• cup and duck
• house and cow