Hearing specialists

An Audiologist tests hearing and recommends appropriate amplification devices to help infants, children and adults hear.

You may need the help of an audiologist in order to:

• diagnose hearing loss in infants, children and adults
• assess and measure hearing loss
• understand information related to your hearing loss
• prescribe and fit hearing aids suited specifically to your hearing loss
• monitor hearing loss and hearing aids over time
• suggest assistive listening devices

Infants and children cannot answer questions or give details regarding their hearing. The audiologist looks for behavioural clues such as crying or the eye-blink response. These responses are obtained through behavioural tests. Reflexive responses on the other hand are measured by special equipment that does not require your baby’s participation. These physiological tests directly test your child’s responses to sound. The tests for hearing loss that audiologists prescribe depend on the age of the child. The details given below will help you identify your need:

All these procedures are safe, non-invasive and need no sedation, except for the ABR and ASSR for which mild sedation may be prescribed.

An audiologist is well qualified to answer all your questions on hearing loss, so that you have a clear understanding of what hearing loss is and what it entails.

Hearing aids are best fitted based on the findings of a complete battery of tests (as recommended above). They CANNOT be appropriately fitted ONLY on the basis of ABR results.

See also