If your child has recently been diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing (HOH), his or her pediatric audiologist may have recommended hearing aids. Being able to hear more clearly can improve your child's speech, verbal comprehension, and self-esteem, not to mention enhance many of life's small pleasures, from listening to birds chirp outside to hearing a favorite song. However, you may be worried about your child's ability to go through a hearing aid fitting without having an emotional meltdown, particularly if he or she is already a bit afraid of doctor's offices. Read on to learn more about helping your child mentally and physically prepare for what may be a life-changing procedure.
What can you tell your child to expect from a hearing aid fitting?
Because any medical or quasi-medical procedure can be intimidating for a child, it's important to emphasize the goal of this procedure -- to help your child better experience the sounds of the world around him. Knowing that better hearing awaits as soon as the end of the initial appointment can make it easier for your child to endure temporary discomfort or even boredom at the number of hearing tests that will be performed.
You may want to even run through a few mock fittings at home so that your child will feel more comfortable once the plan becomes reality. First, the audiologist will seat your child in a chair, give him or her some headphones, and perform a few hearing tests to determine the softest sounds your child is able to hear. The audiologist will then get a few different hearing aids and place each in your child's ear to see if it is comfortable and fits well. Once the audiologist has found a hearing aid that physically fits, it will be turned on and your child's hearing will again be tested. This process may be repeated a number of times until the audiologist (and your child) are satisfied with the volume and placement of the hearing aids.
Is there anything you should do to physically prepare your child to be fitted for hearing aids?
Usually, there's not much you'll need to do to physically prepare your child -- however, if it's been a while since his or her ears have been cleaned, you may want to take this step first to ensure the hearing aids will be able to fit entirely in the ear canal. This is especially important if your child has shown resistance to other minor medical procedures; although his or her audiologist can perform this cleaning before the fitting, it may be much easier for both you and your child to get this step out of the way in the calmer, cozier environment of home.
For more information, contact companies like Albuquerque Hearing Associates.
Share26 August 2016
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