Children's Hearing Services
Contents
Overview
Children's Hearing Assessment
If you have any concerns regarding your child's hearing, please ask your GP or Health Visitor to refer you to the Audiology service or the Ear, Nose nd Throat Department if there are associated medical issues (such as repeated ear infections).
The service will initially ask you some questions about your child's responses to sound, relevant medical history and development and will use the most appropriate hearing test for your child depending on their age and development.
Children aged 6 months and younger:
They will assess your child's ears and hearing by either:
- Oto Acoustic Emissions to assess part of the inner ear. This test involves placing a soft tip in the ear to record a response from the hearing organ.
- Auditory Brainstem Response or Auditory Steady State Response. These tests involve your child being very settled or preferable asleep. Softtips are placed in the ears to play sounds. Sticky sensors are placed on the forehead and behind the ears to record responses from the hearing nerve.
Children aged 7 months and older:
They will assess the quietest sounds your child will respond to.
This will be either:
- Visual Reinforcement Audiometry - teaching children to turn to sounds and rewarding them with a puppet or cartoon.
- Play Audiometry - teaching children to perform a task in response to sound (e.g. putting a peg in a board, or similar game).
- Pure Tone Audiometry - asking them to press a button in response to sounds they hear.
If these tests are not suitable for your child, they will consider objective tests, where they do not need to actively respond.
Tympanometry may be used at any age to assess the middle ear. This is quick and does not cause discomfort. Middle ear fluid is a common finding in children. Sometimes it is referred to as "Glue Ear". Glue Ear can result in temporary hearing difficulties that may vary from day to day.
Children's Hearing Aid Service
The service offers a range of hearing aids depending on the age of the child and the type and level of their hearing loss. Their range includes hearings aids worn behind the ear with a soft custom earpiece (earmoulds), and for older children they can offer a more discreet slim tube. They also have bone conduction hearing aids. The hearing aids come in a range of colours with customisable earpieces.
They may initially re-test hearing to make sure that they have an up-to-date picture of hearing levels. They will then programme hearing aids on the computer using a prescription, based on the hearing test results. They may check this prescription using a test box. They will check that the hearing aid is comfortable for the child to wear, and then switch the device on. They may check how well the child can hear sounds or words when wearing the hearing aids.
Universal services
- Paediatric Hearing Assessment Clinics
- Paediatric Rehabilitation Clinics
- Paediatric Hearing Aid Repair Clinics
- Child-Adult Transition Services
- Paediatric Hearing Aid Support Clinics in Schools
Specialist services
- Bone Conduction Hearing Aids
Support available
The service aims to accurately assess hearing in children and where indicated provide management in the form of hearing aids. The planned outcomes are for optimising communication and children's potential.
We have flexibility to see children in clinics most suited to their developmental stage rather than strictly by age. For the very small number of children using sign language as their first language interpreters are arranged.
Who can access the service
All children in age range 0 to 18 years. Parental concern about hearing should always prompt professionals to refer for hearing assessment. Professionals may themselves have a reason to want a hearing assessment.
How to access the service
Referrals by GP / Professional referral e.g. Paediatrician, Health Visitor, Speech and Language Therapist.
Paediatric Audiologist triages referrals to decide most appropriate type of clinic for the child e.g. 1 tester vs 2 tester.