Hearing tests are crucial from birth onwards. Ensuring that children undergo regular testing after routine neonatal testing helps to detect any issues.
Early detection of hearing issues is essential, as issues can affect a child’s speech and language development, as well as social skills and education. Treatment is more effective with early intervention, and the correct support can be accessed quickly.
Children’s Hearing Tests
Objective hearing tests do not require a child to show that they have heard a specific sound. Instead, they measure how well the ear and the nerve responsible for hearing are working. They are based on the cochlea giving a faint response to sound. It is conducted using a soft-tipped earpiece which is placed inside the ear.
Bones conduction testing uses earphones to assess how sounds pass through the ear canal and middle ear, before reaching the cochlea.
Speech discrimination tests can also be used on children to ascertain how well a child can hear a word at differing listening levels. These tests are carried out in a way that is appropriate to a child’s age and stage of development.
In older children who have already been identified as having hearing loss, behavioural tests can help to understand specific levels.
Hearing Test Providers
To arrange a hearing test Bristol or the surrounding areas, contact specialists such as https://www.imperialhearing.com/audiologist-near-me/bristol.
Specialist audiologists can arrange for hearing tests for adults and children alike, as well as provide other services such as tinnitus management, ear wax removal, and hearing aid fitting and maintenance.