Children's audiology

About

Hearing is an important aspect of day to day life. It helps us to connect with the world around us better. Our aim in audiology is to empower individuals and help them to overcome the barriers their hearing can create for them. 

Our children’s audiology service is part of a multispecialty paediatric department. Many of the specialties are nationally and internationally renowned. We provide a comprehensive, family-friendly and integrated screening, diagnostic and habilitative audiology service for babies and children of all ages with hearing difficulties. 

We aim to provide the best quality care for our patients and follow local and national protocols, as well as conducting audits to ensure our service is always improving and working at its most optimum.

We have particular expertise in assessing children who are difficult to test, and provide a reactive service for babies and children who have lost their hearing as a result of meningitis, birth complications and other conditions such as glue ear. The service receives over 100 new referrals a month.

Conditions and treaments

Our services are led by audiovestibular physicians and audiologists. We provide extensive assessments for children with:

• general hearing concerns
• speech and language difficulties 
• glue ear concerns 
• tinnitus
• family related hearing loss
• ototoxicity monitoring 

We conduct full investigations of hearing loss using a number of tests such as:

• full behavioural hearing assessments 
• otoacoustic emission testing
• auditory brainstem response (ABR) assessment under natural sleep, sedation or general anaesthetic
• speech testing

Treatments we offer

Habilitation is an important part of audiology and we aim to provide a range of aids individual to each child to meet their needs. Our aids include:

• a range of behind-the-ear hearing aid fittings 
• bone anchored hearing aids 
• bone conduction hearing aids 
• cross hearing aids 

Further online resources

If your children has recently received a diagnosis, your audiologist, audiovestibular physician or ear, nose and throat consultant will provide information tailored to your child, but if you would like to read further there are a number of resources you can access. 

• NATIONAL DEAF CHILDREN’S SOCIETY
• National Deaf Children's Society – my baby has a hearing loss
• NHS NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAMME 
• BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF AUDIOVESTIBULAR PHYSICIANS 
• NHS CHOICES – GLUE EAR 
• NHS CHOICES – HEARING LOSS
• MICROTIA MINGLE UK

 

There are also a number of apps that you can download to your device that provide information and resources for you and your child.

• My Ear Anatomy – Play Store and App Store
• Oxford Medical Dictionary – Play Store and App Store (please note that you have to pay for this app)
• First Sounds – Play Store
• Sound Essentials – Play Store
• Resound Tinnitus Relief – Play Store and App Store
• Sign BSL – Play Store and App Store