The sooner you catch hearing loss in your child, the better. Early intervention can help your child learn to better manage hearing loss. This will help prevent problems in their speech and language development.
Your child’s treatment plan will likely include guidance from health care specialists and auditory devices.
Multidisciplinary Pediatric Hearing & Balance Team
Your child will have a team of health care professionals on their side, every step of the way. Each team member has special skills to help you and your child adapt to and manage hearing loss.
Audiologist
An audiologist is a licensed health care professional who received their Master’s or Doctoral degree in audiology from an accredited graduate program. Audiologists can diagnose and help manage hearing and balance problems in babies, children and adults.
Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Doctor
An ear, nose and throat doctor specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions in these areas of the body.
The ENT has a deep understanding of the anatomy of your child’s ears and will work with the other members of your care team to determine treatment options.
Speech and Language Pathologist
A speech and language pathologist (SLP) has their Master’s or Doctoral degree in speech-language pathology from an accredited graduate program. They work with babies, children and adults who have problems communicating.
SLPs can help your child with:
- Speech sounds
- Voice
- Fluency
- Swallowing
- Social communication
Your SLP may conduct a speech and language evaluation to monitor your child’s progress.
Hearing Devices for Children
Your health care team may recommend special devices to assist your child with hearing and balance. If your child has hearing loss that cannot be medically corrected, your team will likely recommend an amplification device.
Types of Amplification Devices
- Hearing aids
- In-the-ear hearing aids
- Behind-the-ear hearing aids
- Canal aids
- Body aids
- Cochlear implant
- Custom ear products for hearing protection
- Osseo-integrated auditory devices