Parents - do you find that you are repeating yourself constantly? Are you having to shout if your child’s back is turned? Are speech or learning difficulties making themselves apparent at school?
Hearing difficulty or loss is worrying and frustrating for parents – if you can’t communicate properly with them, how are you to know what they are feeling or thinking?
The important thing to remember, however, is that there are professionals and services available that can help you and your child. Audiology Medical Services has dedicated paediatric centres across the country. We provide an expert, comprehensive child-centred and family-friendly diagnostic audiological assessment of infants, children and adolescents. At Audiology Medical Services, we pride ourselves on offering the most technologically advanced and child-centred facilities in the country.
How do I know if my child’s having hearing problems?
If your child presents one or more of the following symptoms, he/she may have difficulty hearing:
- Failure to startle at loud noises
- He/she does not always respond when called
- You have to raise your voice to catch the child’s attention
- Delayed speech development
- Displaying inattentive or withdrawn behaviour at school
- Asks for things to be repeated
- Consistently turns one ear towards the source of noise
- Turning up the volume on devices
- Frequent ear infections
- Appears clumsy, as ear conditions can cause balance problems
Assessing your child’s hearing
International studies prove that early detection of hearing loss will result in improved academic and social outcomes for children and their families.
It’s important to ensure that you are bringing your child to a trusted testing centre with top-of-the-range facilities. Not only will this make the experience easy on your little one, but you can also rest assured that you’re getting the most efficient consultation possible.
The best option is to book a hearing assessment for your child, with a Paediatric Diagnostic Audiologist. When choosing a paediatric audiologist for your child, consider the following:
- Do they offer the latest in treating technology and equipment?
- Are they qualified in paediatric audiology?
- Can they offer a child-friendly environment for testing?
Advanced paediatric testing & state-of-the-art equipment
Currently, best practice benchmarks do not exist in the Irish hearing care sector. At Audiology Medical Services, we are very proud to adhere to UK standards, meaning our staff members are clinically trained using the latest techniques and technologies.
In recent years, we have invested heavily in paediatric diagnostic audiology with state-of- the-art sound booths being introduced to a number of our nationwide clinics. We carry out a full spectrum of behavioural and physiological tests on infants, children and adolescents. These include; Speech in Noise Testing, Tympanometry, Visual Response Audiometry, Play Audiometry and more.
Audiology Medical Services are the only audiology company in Ireland to offer these multi-sensory booths for children. Purpose-built for paediatric hearing testing (unlike other centres, who use adult versions), these booths provide the most accurate assessment possible, for children of all ages.
These booths are light, bright and colourful – designed to feel like a welcoming play area with no ‘scary’ machines or implements on display. Any nervous child will soon feel at ease, with toys to play with and specially trained paediatric audiologists who will make the whole process seem like fun!
What happens at paediatric consultation?
During your initial consultation, we will talk about your worries and concerns, and take the time to explain everything to reassure your child and avoid any anxiety. Following the results of the assessment, we will explain everything in-depth whilst allowing time for you to ask as many questions as you need.
We will recommend the best treatment in accordance with these results and provide an individual Diagnostic Management Plan that is specific to your child’s needs, including referral to other professionals and support networks such as ENTs and Speech & Language Therapists.
Speedy appointment process
At Audiology Medical Services, we believe that every child of school-going age should have their hearing tested, even if there are no symptoms of a deficit. We believe no child should endure lengthy waiting lists to access a simple hearing examination, so we are fully-committed to offering a speedy appointment process. An initial assessment with a member of our audiology team costs only €150 and children will be cared for in multisensory sound rooms, providing the perfect environment to perform a battery of age-appropriate tests to check for hearing loss.
For more information, or to book an assessment, visit www.audiologymedicalservices.ie, or phone 1800 501 501.
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