Paediatric Hearing Assessment
Do you want to make sure your child’s hearing isn’t impacting their learning and development? Or maybe you want to make sure your child’s hearing aids are the best for their needs? Whatever your concerns, our experienced paediatric audiologist can help.
What you can expect from us
No waiting
list
With no long waiting lists we can see your child in days, rather than months, so that their hearing needs are adressed without delay.
Long
appointments
We never want to rush you, so we always allow plenty of time to make sure that you and your child can ask any questions you have.
Clear results
& advice
We pride ourselves on offering clear, honest advice on your child’s hearing, immediately and without jargon or pressure.
Relaxing
environment
Hospitals can be intimidating, particularly for small children. Our clinic is bright & comfortable to help your child feel at home.
What are the symptoms of hearing loss in children?
Good hearing is important for everyone, but especially for children. Did you know that hearing loss in childhood can impact on speech development, social development, eductation and behavior?
Most cases of permanent hearing loss in children are detected soon after birth nowadays, due to the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme. However, every year some children are diagnosed with a permanent hearing loss at an older age, and many more children will develop a temporary hearing problem as a result of ear infections, wax build-up or glue ear. If you have noticed any of these signs in your child we would be very happy to see them for a thorough hearing assessment to make sure that any hearing difficulties are addressed without delay.
Difficulties with
learning
When children have hearing difficulties they may not hear teacher’s instructions fully or at all, leading to difficulties with education.
Speech or reading
delay
Hearing loss can mean that children may be slower to talk, or have unclear speech. It can also lead to slower progress with reading due to mishearing phonics.
Not responding when called
It’s normal for children to get distracted sometimes, but if your child is regularly not responding when called their hearing may be the reason.
Poor
concentration
Hearing what someone says if you have a hearing loss uses a lot of extra mental effort. This is often misinterpreted in children as poor concentration, or day-dreaming.
Wanting the TV volume louder
Everyone has a different preference for the volume of the TV or music, but if your child is constantly asking for the volume to be turned up it may be that their hearing is affected.
Often asking for
repetition
If your child is asking you to repeat yourself a lot, even when you have their attention, it may be worth booking a hearing assessment to check that their hearing isn’t the cause.
Having trouble hearing in noise
Mild hearing loss often shows up as difficulty hearing in background noise, such as the classroom, even when your child seems to hear fine in quieter places.
Seeming tired or withdrawn
Because making sense of what someone says when you have a hearing loss takes a lot of mental effort children often appear tired or withdrawn, especially later on in the day.
Ready to find peace of mind?
If you are ready to make sure that your child’s hearing is optimal for their learning and development, get in touch with us today to arrange a Paediatric Hearing Assessment.
Cost: £120
Or call us on 01327 640063
What happens during your child's hearing assessment
1. Your child's hearing
We understand that every child is different. We will start your child's hearing assessment with a thorough discussion about your concerns, any feedback from school or nursery as well as their general health and any risk factors they may have for hearing difficulties..
2. Visual inspection
(Otoscopy)
Your child's audiologist will use a small camera to look inside their ears. They will carefully assess your child's ears for blockages, infections or any other visible concerns. The images will be visible on the computer screen if you would like to see them for yourself.
3. Middle ear assessment
(Tympanometry)
Tympanometry is one of the most important tests in your child's hearing assessment. This test involves a small rubber tip being placed in their ear while the pressure is changed in their ear canal. This will tell your audiologist whether they have any congestion in their middle ear (Glue Ear), as well as checking for any holes, or perforations, in their eardrums.
4. Hearing test
(Audiometry)
Depending on your child's age and development their hearing test may be performed in a number of different ways, including Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (ages 6 months to 2 years), Play Audiometry (ages 2+) and Pure Tone Audiometry (ages 5+). For younger children this part of the hearing assessment is always turned into a game to make sure they enjoy coming to see us!
5. Other testing
Depending on the results of the previous testing your audiologist may feel that additional testing would be worthwhile, such as Otoacoustic Emissions or speech testing.
6. Results
You will get the results of your child's hearing test immediately, as well as a written report that you can share with their school or any other medical professionals involved in your child's care. We will make sure that you fully understand your child's hearing as well as our recommendedations, and if you have any questions there will be plenty of time to ask them.
How will we test your child's hearing?
Visual Reinforcement
Audiometry (VRA)
Suitable for ages 6 months to 2 years
VRA is used with babies and toddlers who aren’t yet old enough to follow instructions. During the test, your child sits on your lap or in a chair in front of you, which means you’re with them throughout.
Sounds of different volumes and pitches are played through speakers or earphones. When your child hears a sound, they’ll naturally turn their head toward it – and at that moment, a small visual reward appears, such as a toy lighting up. This reward-based response is called conditioning, and it allows our audiologist to build an accurate picture of what your child can and cannot hear across a range of frequencies.
The test is gentle, non-invasive, and more importantly fun!
Play
Audiometry
Suitable for ages 2 to 5 years
Play audiometry is turns the hearing test into a simple game. Instead of pressing a button, your child performs a small physical action – placing a ring on a stick, dropping a block into a box – each time they hear a sound.
Our audiologist will teach your child the game at the start of the appointment, using demonstration and encouragement rather than complicated instructions. Once your child understands the task, testing begins, with sounds presented at different volumes and pitches to map their hearing levels.
Play audiometry is effective because it keeps children engaged without requiring them to sit still or follow complex directions. Most children aged 2 to 5 respond well to this approach, though the specific method is always tailored to your child on the day.
Pure Tone
Audiometry (PTA)
Suitable for ages 5 years and over
Pure tone audiometry — often called a PTA — is the standard hearing test most adults will recognise. Sounds are played through headphones at different pitches and volumes, and your child presses a button or raises their hand each time they hear one.
It might sound a little dull, but this test can be made more fun with a little imagination – for example, if your child likes space then every time they press the button they can be capturing an alien!
PTA is typically suitable for children from around the age of 5 or 6 upwards, though this varies from child to child. If your child is a little younger but ready to engage with the task, we’ll use our judgement on the day.
What are the most common causes of childhood hearing loss?
There are a wide variety of reasons that your child may develop a hearing loss, here is some information about the most common causes that we see in our clinic:
Glue Ear, or Middle Ear Effusion, is the most common cause of hearing loss in children, with 1 in 10 children developing it before the age of 10.
Behind your eardrum is a space called the Middle Ear. This should be filled with air, and is connected to the back of your nose via a tube called the Eustachian Tube. This tube opens regularly to balance the pressure in your ear and to drain fluid. If the Eustachian Tube becomes blocked the middle ear can fill with fluid (mucus or congestion), which often causes hearing to reduce, just like if your ears were full of water.
Children are more prone to developing Glue Ear than adults as their Eustachian Tubes are narrower. In many cases this condition will resolve with no intervention, however we will be able to advise you on any adaptations that your child may need at home and school to help support their development while their hearing is affected, as well as referring on to ENT if their hearing does not improve after a period of monitoring.
Middle Ear Infections are incredibly common in children, with 50-85% of children experiencing at least 1 ear infection before the age of 3. When the middle ear becomes infected the space behind the eardrum fills up with discharge. This pushes on the eardrum and causes a lot of pain.
In most cases your child’s immune system will fight the infection off itself, however if the infection is more serious the pressure can build up until the eardrum “bursts”. At this point you will probably see liquid leaking out of your child’s ear, but they will normally be in less pain.
Your child’s eardrum will normally heal up on its own within a few weeks or months. However, a small proportion of children will be left with a perforation, or hole, in their eardrum, particularly if they have experienced several ear infections.
Our testing includes Tympanometry, which will give you definite information about the state of your child’s eardrum and middle ear, so if you have any concerns please do get in touch and we will be happy to help.
Sensorineural hearing loss refers to hearing loss caused by either the inner ear (the cochlea) not detecting quiet sounds, or the nerve not sending the sounds up to the brain correctly.
Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and is normally assisted using hearing aids to make sounds loud enough to hear.
Sensorineural hearing loss is detected soon after birth for most children, through the Newborn Hearing Screen. However, this is not foolproof and some children every year are found to have a permanent hearing loss later on in childhood.
If you have concerns regarding your childs hearing our testing will help get to the bottom of the reasons why, so that they can be given the support they need to flourish.
Pricing
Paediatric Hearing Assessment (Age 3+ Years Old)
£120Paediatric Hearing Assessment (6 months - 3 Years Old)
Coming Soon