Pediatric audiometry with the AT2000

1. Episode 1

New user interface meets tried
and tested operation

In this episode, I will focus on the hardware and software and give you a first insight into the user interface and the data processing concept.
First of all: we have kept to the tried and tested wherever possible and sensible: the control panel of the last version of the AT1000 remains identical for you. Your operation remains the same, that was important to us!

It also made economic sense to keep the connection to the loudspeakers and the furniture. We will have to pull new cables when replacing the audio meters, but this is much cheaper than replacing intact speakers. One of the premises of the new development was also that the existing furniture concept could be retained for the tables. However, if you have any requests here, we will be happy to advise you, also with the help of the configurator.

We will carefully examine your individual situation with regard to the test procedures and conditioning tools such as the VRA Viewer. No completely new purchases are necessary, for some licenses there are only upgrade costs, which are lower than new licenses. Your Lookyboxes can be connected without any technical problems.

However, the audiometer itself is a completely new development: digital sound generation has replaced analog sound generation, and the expected availability of the electronic components used was very important to us. We are constantly monitoring this with our German suppliers. 
The software has also been rewritten. Our development team has focused on two principles:

1- Take into account your experience with the AT1000 and the functionalities you consider useful,
2- Create a modern interface with a clear separation of test settings and measurement interface: the audiograms take up a larger part of the screen and you are not distracted by an overloaded interface during the measurement.

You also asked us to expand the database, e.g. to give more space to the documentation of the hearing systems and to make the test history visible more quickly. We have implemented this and are now looking forward to your feedback.

1. Episode 2

Speech audiometry with children:
new testing methods and multilingualism

Today I'm writing about speech audiometry and how AURITEC has implemented it in the AT2000. Our customer groups are as diverse as their wishes, which is why we have created a few options:

Firstly, there is the method of counting the result of a speech audiometry during the measurement. You can now choose whether you want the result to be displayed as a ratio of the correct answers to the total number of words or numbers or to the number of items presented. You can also note the "incorrect" answers and have them printed out. This is useful for speech therapy questions, for example.

If you see certain children frequently, it makes sense to mix the test lists so that there is no learning effect. With the AT2000 you can now randomize the test lists.

We were also happy to fulfill another request: displaying the sound audiogram during the measurement in speech audiometry. Overall, we want to give you the opportunity to see additional information in speech audiometry without overloading the screen. Take a look and see if we have succeeded!

We are a little proud that we can offer you additional language procedures: together with partners, we have completed and validated the Arabic OLKISA. This enables us to offer a stringent range of tests for Arabic-speaking children at different ages in Arabic: the AAST, the OLKISA and the OLSA.

For young German-speaking patients, the new Mainz children's test, the MATCH, is integrated exclusively into the AT2000. The test, developed by the Department of Communication Disorders at the Mainz University Medical Center, contains common words with a phoneme distribution of current everyday language. Children from the age of 3 can carry out the MATCH using a touchscreen. This means that the child's ability to speak is not necessarily tested. A female speaker's voice and the test as a game, which increases the child's concentration time, are further advantages of the MATCH, which we see as a welcome modernization compared to the old Mainzer 1.

1. Episode 3

Integration of the WESTRA test
procedures and extended free-field measurement

In cooperation with the company WESTRA, we have succeeded in integrating the test procedures directly into the software. You can already see all the procedures activated for you in the test selection and start them directly from there.

The two main advantages are, firstly, that you no longer have to make any presettings on the audiometer so that, for example, the audiometer and test have the same volume. This means that there is only one open window during the measurement, which makes carrying out a test much more user-friendly.

Secondly, you save valuable time by saving the measurement results of a selected patient directly in the database, as all results appear in the test history.

With the extended free-field measurement, we have retained the basic idea of displaying all the speakers set up with the corresponding degree number below the audiogram. The active speaker is highlighted. Another new feature is that you can now also perform an attenuation via another transducer. This is marked both in the audiogram and in the polar plot on the right-hand sidebar, which can be folded in and out.

In response to many requests, we have programmed the system so that the direction and type of signal are now also saved and documented in the measurement result.

However, the "Extended free-field measurement" module always has two channels. If you want to use speech in noise plus a masking / masking noise, switch to the "Multi-channel audiometry" module.

An additional enhancement is a great advantage, especially for measuring children: a steep narrowband noise can now always be selected in the selection of noise types.