Management of hearing loss

Monitoring

If your child has a mild or temporary hearing loss we may decide to use a ''watch and wait' method to monitor their hearing without immediate intervention. This method is commonly used for children with glue ear, as their hearing is likely to fluctuate over time.

Hearing aids

If your child has a permanent hearing loss, or their hearing loss is considered suitable, they may be offered a hearing aid. Hearing aids can also be offered for children with temporary hearing losses.

Hearing aids are usually provided with the aim of helping your child develop their speech and they are fine-tuned using your child’s hearing test results.

We may take measurements from their ears to ensure that the correct amplification is provided for each pitch of sound, although this is not suitable for every child.

Hearing aids usually require an earmould, which is a mould taken of the shape of your child’s ear - they can come in different colours or glitters and can have cartoon pictures in them.

Hearing aid repairs

If your child’s hearing aid is lost or broken, please phone the department on 023 8120 2997.

Depending on the issue we will either be able to book an appointment for you to attend for the hearing aid to be repaired/replaced or we may be able to arrange a replacement for your collection.

Onward referrals

We may decide that your child may benefit from an onward referral to another professional.

The most common onward referrals we make for management of hearing loss in children are the ear nose and throat department (ENT), for investigation and/or surgical intervention, and the auditory implant service, for cochlear implantation or bone conduction hearing devices.