Treatment & Intervention for Children

Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills. The earlier a child who is deaf or hard-of-hearing starts getting services, the more likely the child's speech, language, and social skills will reach their full potential.

Early Intervention (0-3 Years)

Early intervention program services help young children with hearing loss learn communication and other important skills. Research shows that early intervention services can greatly improve a child's development. Babies who are diagnosed with hearing loss should begin to get intervention services as soon as possible, but no later than 6 months of age.

Services for children from birth through 36 months of age are often called "Part C" services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These services usually include family support, speech therapy, and assistive technology.

Hearing Aids for Kids

Babies as young as 4 weeks old can wear hearing aids. Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are the most common style for young children because they can accommodate growing earmolds. As the child grows, only the earmold needs to be replaced, not the entire expensive electronic device.

Parental Role

For children, parents are the primary managers of the hearing aids. This involves:

• Daily checks to ensure the battery is working.
• Cleaning earwax from the molds.
• Ensuring the child keeps them on during waking hours.
• Protecting the devices from moisture and loss (using retention clips).

Other Assistive Devices

Besides hearing aids, there are other devices that help children with hearing loss:

• FM Systems: A teacher wears a microphone, and the sound is sent directly to the child's hearing aid, overcoming noise and distance in classrooms.
• Cochlear Implants: For children with severe to profound hearing loss who do not benefit from hearing aids.
• Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHA): For children with conductive hearing loss or single-sided deafness.