Understanding the intricacies of pediatric hearing tests is essential for ensuring the well-being of children. Unlike adult hearing assessments, these tests are specifically designed to cater to the unique needs of children, taking into account their developmental stages. The basics of pediatric hearing tests involve a series of comprehensive evaluations to determine a child’s ability to hear and respond to various sounds. These assessments are crucial in identifying potential hearing issues early on, allowing for timely interventions and support.
As such, pediatric hearing tests are important. Typically, it’s advised that children get their hearing tested every two to three years or more often if they’re experiencing some difficulties. However, your audiologist will be able to provide you with a better timeline for this, based on your child’s auditory health and previous hearing tests.
What to Expect at a Pediatric Hearing Test
At their core, pediatric hearing tests are not entirely dissimilar to the tests you’ll take as adults. After all, they are largely looking for the same signs and indicators that hearing loss has occurred. Due to this, children will usually be given a set of headphones to wear and asked to press a button whenever they hear a specific sound. This test measures the lowest and highest frequencies they can hear without difficulty and is known as a pure tone test.
However, the age of your child will determine what tests are carried out. For example, babies’ and toddlers’ hearing are tested differently, as they’ll be unable to understand the instructions for the test outlined above. Instead, an audiologist will measure how they respond to certain sounds and stimuli in a controlled environment. For example, they may encourage your child to play with certain loud or noisy toys or try to catch their attention from across the room.
A pediatric hearing test will typically take around 20-30 minutes, during which time you’ll have the chance to discuss any of your concerns with the audiologist or ask any questions they may have. If any additional testing is necessary, this will then be organized by your audiologist on your behalf.
What Happens After My Child Has Had Their Hearing Tested?
After the hearing test is complete, the audiologist will discuss your child’s hearing health with you. If there’s nothing to be concerned about, they’ll provide you with some simple suggestions on how to continue caring for their hearing and give you an idea of when you should next schedule a test.
Otherwise, they will also be on hand to discuss the next course of action. For example, if they think your child will benefit from wearing hearing aids, they’ll begin to discuss this with you and your child. Alternatively, they may suggest further testing or treatment methods that can help to reduce the symptoms they deal with on a day-to-day basis.
Either way, regular testing can help you protect your child’s hearing, ensuring that hearing loss does not have a negative impact on their health, happiness or life as a whole.
If you’d like to find out more about pediatric hearing loss, contact your audiologist. They will be able to find the perfect solutions for your child.