Q: My 3 year, 6 months old son has not started speaking yet. He speaks only 4 words like mama baba kaka papa. The doctor asked us to get a hearing test done. At home we have observed good hearing behaviour in him. He understands a whole conversation and acts/respond accordingly. We took him to an ENT specialist. The doctors said that the audiometery test is not possible. He appears to be a normal child his tongue, throat and nose are normal. They have asked us to get a BERA test done. What is a BERA test and how is it done?

A:BERA (Brain Stem Evoked Response Audiometery) can tell if the child hears normally. That would be the first probable cause of his speech delay and must be ruled out to help diagnosis. Please follow advice of an experienced ENT surgeon or take him to a specialized services hospital.