One Hatfield Hospital are pleased to offer a special package price of £275 for children’s hearing assessments (age 3 to 16). If you have any concerns about your child’s hearing, you have been waiting a long time for an NHS referral, or would like your child to have the routine hearing assessment recommended at age 4 to 5*, our Consultant Audiologist can help.
Even a minor hearing loss in children, if not detected early, can cause delays in their learning and development. This can impact their speech, social skills, confidence and educational attainment. If you have any concerns at all about your child’s hearing, please contact us today.
What will happen at my child’s hearing assessment?
At your child’s hearing assessment our Consultant Audiologist will discuss your concerns and relevant medical history. They will then examine your child’s ears for any physical signs of problems that could be affecting their hearing.
The Audiologist will then carry out a Tympanogram and Acoustic Reflex test to check the pressures in your child’s ears. A small, soft button is inserted inside the ear and varying levels of pressure will be applied to check the pressure behind the eardrum and identify conditions such as glue ear. During this test your child will feel a slight sensation that is a little like a pressure change when on an aeroplane.
Your child will then have headphones placed over their ears to perform an audiogram (hearing test). Your child will be inside a sound proofed booth for this test and will be asked to give a sign or press a button when they hear the sounds. If they are very young of course you can be with them in the booth and our younger children play a game of ‘catching the mouse’ that they can hear can hear through the headphones.
The Audiologist will explain the results of the tests to you with a diagnosis, and will make recommendations such as relevant adjustments for improving communication at home and at school or whether a referral onto an ENT Surgeon or other Specialist is appropriate. With your permission clinic reports and recommendations can also be sent to your child’s school if necessary to ensure their hearing issues are accommodated in the school environment.
All results and clinic letters will be sent to your GP and other relevant bodies and a copy will be sent to you. A referral will be made to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist or other Specialists if surgery is recommended.
*Screening at age 4 – 5 is routinely offered at state schools.
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One Hatfield