Pediatrics

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It is imperative that our clients with pediatric hearing loss are identified and provided with appropriate recommendations including amplification when needed. Early intervention which includes amplification and/or FM assistive listening devices when necessary is important to minimize the impact of the auditory deficit on a child’s speech, language and learning abilities. Hearing aids and/or FM devices may be an integral part of intervention strategy. There are various degrees and causes of pediatric hearing loss, which can affect a child’s development in different ways. REM Audiology focuses upon children in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in need of hearing tests and intervention including hearing aids and assistive listening units. Children with hearing deficits show symptoms such as speech and language delays and difficulty responding consistently to their names or environmental sounds. These children need comprehensive diagnostic testing and/or auditory processing assessments. The audiologist’s testing will determine appropriate recommendations which may include hearing aids and FM systems.

REM pediatric audiologists network with speech/language pathologists and other professionals for therapies in various aspects of child development. REM pediatric audiologists also go into schools for audiological support addressing pediatric hearing loss and auditory processing problems.

Should Your Child Undergo Pediatric Testing For Hearing Aids and Assistive Listening Systems?

A combination of objective and behavioral diagnostic assessments are the basis for pediatric hearing testing in infants and children. For children living in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, behavioral testing by a Pennsylvania Pediatric Audiologist or a New Jersey Pediatric Audiologist is necessary to determine how the child responds to sound. Objective measures are incorporated, especially for children with inconsistent or unreliable behavioral responses to sound. Pediatric hearing aids may be necessary to alleviate the developmental problems created by the diagnosis of hearing loss. Our pediatric audiologist offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania can help you determine if hearing aids are a necessary recommendation based upon proper testing.

Pediatric Hearing Testing Includes:

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

• Pediatric hearing testing procedures are performed for children whose developmental age is between 6 months-two years of age.
• Sound is presented by the audiologist and the child is reinforced by a toy that lights up and moves around when he/she turns in response to the sound stimulus.

Conditioned Play Audiometry

• Our Pediatric Audiologist from Pennsylvania or New Jersey performs conditioned play audiometry for children whose developmental age is between 2 to 5 years of age
• Sound is presented through headphones (if tolerated) and the child throws a ball in a bucket when he/she hears the sound stimulus.

Conventional Audiometry

• This hearing testing protocol is performed for children who are developmentally 5 years and older.
• Sound is presented through headphones and the child either pushes a button, raises his hand, or responds verbally “I heard the whistle” to the stimulus.

These behavioral audiometry techniques all incorporate pediatric hearing testing of the child’s sensitivity to specific frequencies as well as his/hers responses to speech stimuli.

Central Auditory processing protocols

• Our Pennsylvania pediatric audiologists and New Jersey pediatric audiologists are specialists in the assessment of central auditory deficits.
• These protocols are performed on children who have normal hearing yet have auditory deficits such as difficulty listening in noise, understanding conversational speech, remembering auditory information, and difficulty with phonetic analysis.
• Children who are candidates for auditory processing problems may have difficulty reading, spelling, and learning in the classroom due to difficulty understanding conversational speech.
• The auditory processing test results are integral part of the child’s educational strategies.

Objective Measures Include:

Tympanometry

• A Pediatric Audiologist from our Pennsylvania or New Jersey office assesses middle ear function by placing a small probe tip into the ear canal that emits sound pressure into the ear canal to measure the movement of the eardrum.
• This form of audiologist hearing testing can determine the presence of fluid behind the eardrum, negative pressure in the middle ear, and/or a large ear canal volume related to a perforated eardrum.

Acoustic Reflexes

• A Pediatric Audiologist will assess how sound travels from the middle ear to the neural pathways beyond the inner ear causing middle ears muscles to respond in response to loud sounds.
• Acoustic reflex testing can help diagnosis auditory problems related to auditory neuropathies that cause problems understanding speech.

Otoacoustic Emissions

• The Pennsylvania or New Jersey audiologist assesses the function of the inner hair cells in the cochlea, the inner portion of the ear. The audiologist places a small probe tip into the ear canal that presents sounds of different frequencies. Hearing loss can be diagnosed even for newborn children.

Our Pediatric Audiologists are very sensitive to the fact that it can be very difficult for the parents of children in need of intervention which may include hearing aids for auditory deficits. Contact our office to find out about the dates and times of our support groups in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Many of our parents have found it very helpful to speak with other parents.

Pediatric Hearing Aids

See for yourself how a Pediatric Audiologist can change your child’s life with appropriate interventions which may include hearing aids. You can also join our FACEBOOK page “REM Audiology Associates, P.C.” Read posts from other mothers and fathers in NJ and PA who have experience with pediatric hearing loss and pediatric hearing aids or post a message on the discussion board.