Fitting Hearing Aids on Children

A hearing aid fitting is an appointment with your hearing healthcare professional typically scheduled after your hearing examination. The purpose of the hearing aid fitting is to ensure the hearing aids are providing the right amplification to your ears in order to maximize the benefits of your investment. 

Getting the right fit

Checking for proper fit is easier in adults than it is with children, as children have the propensity to move around and fidget and typically lack the ability to react and respond in a meaningful way. Because of these difficulties, hearing healthcare professionals use different methods of testing to verify if the amplification provided by the hearing aids is correct for the child’s hearing loss.

Running tests

One of the most common tests to collect data on the amplification of hearing aids is called a real ear measurement. Collecting the real ear data on infants and children is a three-step process.

First, frequency specific thresholds measurements will be gathered, typically prior to the hearing aid fitting, to establish the proper gain and maximum output a child needs for the fitting. These measurements, while highly scientific and medical in nature, simply establish the “starting point” for selecting and programming hearing aids.

The second step in the real ear measurement is to present a stimulus, like music, tonal sounds or voices, into the hearing aid by adjoining an earphone onto the hearing device. In the final step, a probe microphone is placed into the child’s ear canal. The earphone is used to deliver the signal to the ear. Measurements are taken to establish how well the hearing device is working. The procedure for both ears takes between five and 10 minutes, depending on how relaxed and cooperative the infant or child is.

Follow-up visit

Constant follow up is common for infants and children who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants because the ear canal grows as the child ages. Your child’s hearing specialist will likely schedule a follow up one month after the hearing aid fitting as well as two to three months after amplification measurements are established. From there, your child will probably need to visit the hearing specialist every six months until the age of 5 to ensure proper fitting as he or she grows.

If you’re concerned your child may have hearing loss, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with a hearing care provider in your area!