Advanced medical technology today enables doctors to identify permanent hearing loss a child may have soon after birth.
Hearing aids can be of great help for children as well as adults. Early detection of a hearing problem and use of proper hearing aids coupled with constant monitoring can help tackle hearing problem in children quite effectively.
Children begin learning a great deal of language before actually uttering their first word. Hearing problem can disrupt language development as learning spoken language depends on the ability to hear speech. Research has shown that the ability to learn any language is at its peak between the ages of two and four. Hence, early identification of the problem along with appropriate corrective measures ensures better chances of developing listening abilities and using spoken language. Proper use of hearing aids is integral to this entire process. Prior to the purchase of hearing aids for children, the degree of hearing loss needs to be determined. This can be done by a qualified audiologist.
The ultimate aim for using amplification is to enable conversational speech to be heard at a comfortable level. A lot of audiologists use mathematics to compute values for the hearing aid response. This is based on the amount of hearing loss present so that the performances of different hearing aids are comparable to the required targets.
Some of the important characteristics that need to be considered while choosing hearing aids for children are as follows -
Frequency response - This denotes the amount of amplification a hearing aid provides across a frequency range. Amplification is usually provided only in regions where there is hearing loss.
Gain - This denotes the amount of amplification the hearing aid provides and is expressed in decibels.
Saturation sound pressure level (SSPL) - This is the loudest sound the hearing aid can produce, regardless of the incoming signal or the amount of gain. SSPL of a hearing needs to set such that the hearing aid never becomes uncomfortably loud or potentially damaging to the ear. .
