Children’s hearing aid fittings
Many people believe that hearing loss is an aging condition.
Hearing loss doesn’t just affect older people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between two and three percent of all children born in America are deaf or have some hearing loss. Hearing loss can also occur later in life due to infection, medication, genetic predisposition, or noise-induced hearing loss.
Through a series hearing test, a child with hearing loss will be diagnosed by an audiologist. The audiologist will be able to determine the type and extent of the hearing loss and recommend solutions such as hearing aids to improve the hearing ability.
After selecting hearing aids, the child will visit an audiologist for a hearing device fitting. While fitting hearing aids can be time-consuming, they are fun for both parents and children. A one-to two-hour appointment is often the first chance for a child with hearing loss to hear their parents for the first time. If you’re in the area, come visit Pensacola’s best hearing center.
What to expect during a fitting of a hearing aid
The audiologist will ensure that all components fit snugly and comfortably during the fitting of the hearing aids. The majority of time the audiologist will be programming the hearing aids to their hearing loss. The audiologist will ask your child to respond to the sound being sent through the hearing aids in order to program them. The hearing aid’s amplification will be determined by the response of your child. Verification tests confirm that loud sounds don’t sound too loud and that soft sounds are not too loud. Average sounds are more comfortable for the ears.
As your child grows, the audiologist will schedule several follow-up appointments. Because the child’s ears grow quickly, these follow-up appointments will be used to monitor the fit and function of the hearing aid.
How to adjust your hearing aids
Young children need to make a huge cognitive leap when hearing sound for the first time. The brain of a child needs to adjust to new sounds. Speech and language therapy may be beneficial depending on your child’s age. This is to help them catch up with other children their age.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) explains how “critical for the development of speech, language, communication skills and language.” While developing hearing loss at a younger age puts a child at more risk for developmental delays, the earlier hearing loss is identified and intervention is put into place the more likely the child will return to developmental levels with their peers.
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