Questions to ask when you are at the hearing aid appointment

  • It is important that your child wear his or her hearing aids during all waking hours and that the hearing aids are in good working order.
  • Your child’s hearing aids need to be checked every morning.
  • You can check your child’s hearing aids by listening to them using a special stethoscope and doing a daily sound check using the Ling 6 sounds.
  • The audiologist should provide you with a kit that has a stethoscope and other tools to care for your child’s hearing aids.
  • The audiologist and your child’s speech-language pathologist and/or teacher can support you as you learn how to manage your child’s hearing aids.

  • Hearing and hearing aids need to be tested often for young children because
    • hearing aids can break down at any time;
    • it is important to your child’s communication and language development to identify changes in hearing or hearing aids quickly.
  • Expect to have your child’s hearing and hearing aids checked approximately
    • every 1 to 2 months during the first year
    • every 3 months from 12 to 36 months of age
    • every 6 months between 3 and 5 years of age and then annually.

  • To learn spoken language, your child will need to wear the hearing aids every waking hour so that he or she has consistent access to sound.
    • Children with hearing loss require more exposures to a word than children with normal hearing in order to learn it. (Pittman, 2005)
  • It is important that your child is aware of environmental sounds; lack of awareness compromises his or her safety—for example, when crossing a busy street.

  • It is important that your child’s earmolds fit well. This affects the quality of the sound that your child hears.
  • As your child grows, the earmolds will need to be replaced. For young children, the earmolds need to be replaced frequently. As a rule of thumb, your child’s earmolds may need to be replaced about
    • every month for ages birth to 12 months
    • every 2 to 3 months for ages 1 to 3 years
    • every 6 months for ages 3 to 5 years and then annually thereafter.

  • Cochlear implants are considered when the child has severe or profound hearing loss and receives little or no benefit from hearing aids.
  • Cochlear implants are currently approved for children 12 months of age and older.
  • A 3- to 6-month trial period with hearing aids is recommended before a child can be considered for a cochlear implant.
  • Talk to your child’s ear, nose, and throat doctor and audiologist if you have more questions about cochlear implants.

    • Keep in mind:
    • Experience does matter, but smaller facilities with fewer patients often provide excellent services.
    • Top quality facilities can be found in both urban AND rural areas.
    • Think about the types of services the facility offers and how they can best meet the needs of your child and family.
    • Talk to parents about their experiences with different facilities.
    • You may also want to seek a second opinion from another facility.