Hearing aids are the most effective and standard treatment option for most types of hearing loss, and they can benefit children and adults alike. However, since children’s language and social skills have not fully developed, getting the highest quality of sound possible delivered to your child’s ear is a top priority.
Pediatric Hearing Loss
Treating a child with hearing loss is vital to helping them reach important milestones. Treatment options will depend on the type, severity and frequency of your child’s hearing loss. An audiologist will offer treatment guidelines after learning about your child’s medical history and completing a hearing assessment.
Hearing Aid Styles
There are several hearing aid styles for adults, but children typically receive behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids. BTE hearing aids have a casing that sits behind the ear and houses all the electronics. The
casing attaches over the top of the ear via a tube that runs down the ear and connects to a custom mold in the ear canal. These hearing aids are the most powerful and effective for relaying consistent, understandable sound.
As inexpensive custom molds can be made to fit the child’s ear as they grow, BTE hearing aids are considered the best option for children. In some cases, especially in older children whose language is mostly developed, a pediatric audiologist may suggest other models of hearing aids for your child. Smaller, sleeker styles include in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), completely-in-the-canal (CIC) and receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids.
Source: https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/effects-of-hearing-loss-on-development/
Call Hearing Services of Santa Barbara at (805) 967-4200 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
