Auditory discrimination screening test

Many learners struggle to develop phonological awareness and this can have a huge effect on literacy. One aspect is auditory discrimination, which is the ability to tell the difference between similar sounds.
Other aspects of phonological awareness are perceptual. In other words, it’s not what the ears are hearing, it’s how the brain is making sense of what the ears are hearing. However, auditory discrimination can be perceptual or have a physical cause.

Many younger learners suffer from glue ear (otitis media), which affects hearing. If this isn’t identified and, if necessary, remediated, there can be an ongoing effect on the development of phonological awareness.
This screening test will:
- Identify if there is a problem
- Identify which sounds are causing difficulties
- Analyse results to see if there is an underlying pattern (end sounds, initial blends, for example)
- Provide a way of checking progress
- Provide some guidelines about when a learner should be referred for further investigation by an audiologist or similar.

Please note, this is not intended as an in-depth diagnostic tool. No screening test of this nature should replace assessment by a trained specialist. This is simply intended as a quick and easy way for parents or teachers to identify difficulties and provide guidance.

This test has been widely used in NZ and has been checked and approved by a number of audiologists and speech-language specialists.

The test can be used with any age from 5 (depending on concentration!) and full instructions are included.

Note: Other useful resources in this range include picture cards and aural activities.