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One of the most challenging areas in the field of audiology is fitting children with hearing instruments. Intuitive understanding
and much experience are required by the audiologist.
Hearing instruments for children must fulfil special requirements.
Technology must be easy to use. Special accessories like
FM-systems and design for size and colour also may be required.
Why is fitting children so challenging?
An audiologist can determine an adult's
hearing threshold by asking when he/she hears a test signal and when not.
Small children are not yet able to answer because their language skills have not yet developed.
This makes fitting children so challenging because special methods, significantly more complex than the standard ones used for adults, like
conditioned play audiometry, must be applied.
Because of the importance of hearing in child development, it is crucial that the instrument fitting is successful.
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Hearing loss can have profound consequences for a child. Therefore, the performance of the his/her hearing instruments is
essential for that child.
Interdisciplinary cooperation is required. Physicians, paediatric hearing instrument specialists,
paediatric audiologists, parents,
teachers, speech therapists and hearing instrument manufacturers need to work together to provide best possible care.
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Growing ears need to be fitted frequently to the instrument's shape and size.
Because of this, children are usually fitted with behind the ear (BTE) instruments. A BTE requires only
a replacement ear mould, so replacing the entire hearing instrument will not always be necessary.
Infants need instruments compact in shape, so they sit correctly behind their small ears.
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