Hearing Aids That Meet Children's Needs

Addressing hearing loss early in newborns (before the age of 6 months) improves language acquisition. Conversely, addressing it late (after the age of 12 months) delays language acquisition.

In June 2012, the Government of Québec unveiled the Québec Newborn Hearing Screening Program, a program that brings together all stakeholders and aims to establish a rapid and structured treatment plan for infants.

As part of the treatment plan, choosing the right hearing aids for the child’s needs is crucial for starting the rehabilitation process. New hearing aid technologies are now available for children with severe to profound hearing loss. A manufacturer has recently introduced very high-gain hearing aid technology as a last resort before cochlear implant. This technology equips behind-the-ear hearing aids with a number of options to help children’s speech development.

Children with severe to profound hearing loss need a lot of amplification to compensate. However, the line between “audible” and “uncomfortable” is thin. The new hearing aid technology mentioned above finds a balance between audibility and comfort, which helps children throughout the language development process. In fact, the technology adapts to children’s changing needs at each stage of development.

This new technology not only amplifies speech to increase audibility, it makes the speech clearer to create a seamless soundscape. It strikes a good balance between speech understanding, sound localization and listening comfort.
The integrated feedback system also helps prevent acoustic feedback caused by changes in the ear’s anatomy as the child grows.

While the hearing aids are larger, they can be used for children, babies and teenagers. They can be adjusted to fit even the smallest ears. An indicator light on the hearing aids can even allow parents or educators to quickly check that the devices are working properly.

Talk to an audioprosthetist to learn more about this new technology.