Technology Solutions

Hearing loss can be treated with a number of solutions, depending on your child’s level of hearing loss and individual needs:

• Hearing aids can help amplify sound in one or both ears. They should be used as soon as any hearing loss is detected, even in babies. Children who cannot use hearing aids because of a congenital ear malformation, poor speech discrimination or chronic ear infection complications may respond to a Baha bone conduction hearing device.
• Baha devices convert sound waves to vibrations, bypassing the ear canal to stimulate the cochlea by vibrating against the temporal bone. Young children can wear a Baha softband on an elastic band across the temporal bone. Older children may respond to a Baha osseointegrated implant system, which allows for stronger stimulation of the cochlea and increased speech discrimination.
• Cochlear implants can be considered for children with severe to profound hearing loss, especially the very young so stimulation of the sound processing portion of the brain can begin as early as possible. This lays the groundwork for learning and understanding spoken language. Even children as young as one year can be candidates for cochlear implants.

Pediatric Hearing Aids

Any child with hearing loss will need some type of hearing device to ensure that they learn and develop with their peers. The auditory processing center of the brain undergoes essential development during the first two or three years of life. Without access to sound and spoken language during this period, a child can suffer significant developmental delays and problems with educational and psychosocial development. Children have unique needs in using hearing devices, so it’s important to work with expert pediatric audiologists to tailor treatment to the child’s needs.