Professor Suzanne Purdy shares expertise in evoked potentials during special visit

We are thrilled to share that The Hearing House has recently acquired new Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials (CAEP) equipment—thanks to the generous support of Grace McKean, a valued client of The Hearing House. Grace’s contribution has made it possible for us to bring in this advanced technology, which plays a vital role in assessing how effectively sound is reaching and being processed by the brain, especially in infants and young children with hearing devices.

To support our team in making the most of this new equipment, we were honoured to welcome Professor Suzanne Purdy for a special session. A respected researcher, audiologist, and member of our board, Suzanne has been instrumental in developing audiology protocols and pioneering work in evoked potentials.  

Suzanne shared her extensive knowledge of auditory evoked potentials, explaining how they measure electrical responses from the cochlea to the auditory cortex using sensors placed on the scalp. In particular, CAEP testing allows us to assess whether a child’s brain is detecting and responding to speech sounds—offering an objective and powerful way to verify the benefit of hearing aids or cochlear implants when behavioural responses aren’t yet possible. CAEPs can be recorded in people of all ages and hence this approach is also very valuable for older children or adults who struggle to convey what they are hearing. Because these responses come from the auditory cortex, the person being tested must be awake and relaxed for accurate results. For children this might involve distracting toys of a video, and adults can read or watch a sub-titled video while their brain’s responses to the speech sounds are being measured!  

Through engaging storytelling, Suzanne took us through the evolution of newborn hearing screening, her research at the National Acoustic Laboratories in Australia, and the significance of using speech-like stimuli in cortical testing, rather than simple tones. Her insights will be invaluable as we incorporate this new capability into our clinical practice.  

We are deeply grateful to Grace McKean for helping to make this possible, and to Professor Suzanne Purdy for sharing her expertise and continued support of our work. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our ability to support children with hearing differences and their whānau. 

Professor Suzanne Purdy sharing her expertise with The Hearing House team