Children’s Hearing Tests
Are you troubled about your child’s hearing?
Children’s Hearing Loss
What are the signs your child may be impacted by hearing loss?
- Speech is delayed or unclear compared to other children their age.
- Appears inattentive, restless or expresses some behavioural problems.
- Likes the TV or music played louder than usual or louder than others.
- Pulling at their ears or complaining their ears are ‘sore’.
- There are frequent requests for you to repeat things or perhaps they say ‘What?’ regularly.
- Not turning their head to sound or not being started by loud noises.
Recognising if your child is having difficulty with their hearing can be a challenge. Young children may not be able to express themselves, or they may not even realise there is an issue, causing them to cope quietly on their own. A child’s complete auditory system, from the ears to the brain, needs to function properly for them to learn, develop language, form connections, and interact with their surroundings.
Children can experience hearing loss due to various factors such as ear infections, ear wax build-up, or excess mucus from a cold. However, there may be other underlying issues that could be causing hearing loss, which may require a thorough hearing test to identify. At ONDC our Audiologists, specialise in working with children over the age of 5 and can effectively determine if your child is experiencing any hearing difficulties through the appropriate hearing tests.
Information about our Children's Hearing Test
Our Audiologist will conduct a thorough hearing evaluation assessing you in a few different areas. This test will take approximately 1 hour and will include the following:
- Detailed history of your hearing health
- Otoscopy: an examination of the outer ear canal and eardrum using a non-invasive magnifier and light.
- Pure Tone Audiometry: conducted in a soundproof booth, this test will find the softest, least audible sound that you can hear. During the test, you will wear earphones and be asked to press a button whenever you hear a range of sounds directed at one ear at a time.
- Speech Discrimination: this test assesses your ability to hear one and two-syllable words. You will be asked to repeat short and simple words presented through a pair of headphones.
- Tympanometry: this test is used to identify issues in the middle ear, such as the accumulation of fluid or wax, a perforated eardrum, or damage to the tiny bones in the middle ear. It also includes acoustic reflex testing to assess the function of the inner ear, cranial nerves, and brainstem. During the test, a soft plug is placed in each ear, one at a time, to change pressure, create noise, and monitor the ear’s responses to sound and different pressures.
- Your child’s hearing test results will be shared with you during your appointment once all assessments are finished. Our audiologist will explain the results from the tests in a simple and easy-to-follow manner.
- Following this, recommendations and choices for hearing support will be talked over with you to ensure you are well-informed and at ease. Additionally, a detailed report of your test results will be given to both you (if requested) and your referring Doctor (if applicable).
- A referral is not required for a hearing test however, a GP or Specialists referral will entitle the patient to a nominal Medicare rebate.