Focused processes for hearing aid fitting for children

I. Fitting of children’s hearing aids

The rationality and effectiveness of hearing aid fitting depends to a large extent on the accuracy of the hearing test and the correct analysis of the results of the hearing test. The hearing threshold of children’s behavioral listening is often higher than the actual hearing threshold, especially for the first pure tone test Children who listen should pay full attention to this.

At present, various methods of observation, listening and listening have limitations. Never use any one method alone as the basis for fitting hearing aids. The correct choice is to comprehensively analyze the results of various audiometry.

It is important to emphasize that for hearing aid fitting, the results of behavioral audiometry are particularly important.

According to the hearing test results, choosing the hearing aid’s gain, output, and output limit are the most commonly used fitting methods. However, since the external ear canal volume and the middle ear system impedance of children are very different from those of adults, when determining the target gain, not only Considering the choice of fitting formula, the formant curve of the external auditory canal should also be tested and corrected.

The measurement and application of true ear conjunctival cavity difference (RECD), while considering the characteristics of children’s auditory organs, also corrected the effect of ear molds and the inner ear casing on the physical quantities of sound pressure. Accuracy is necessary and worth promoting.

2. Evaluation of the effectiveness of children’s hearing aids

Most children who wear hearing aids for the first time can hardly cooperate with testers like adults, and they cannot accurately describe how they feel after wearing hearing aids. Therefore, children’s hearing aid effect assessment requires multiple methods and multiple tests to be accurate.

At present, the commonly used methods include behavior observation method, quantitative evaluation method, Ling’s six-tone method, speech test method, functional evaluation method, and intervention gain method. They should be freely combined according to the age and coordination of children.

Regardless of which method is used, both ears should be evaluated separately, and then both ears should be evaluated at the same time. Some children will experience inconsistencies in the performance of the binaural hearing aid and the monoaural hearing aid, and should be adjusted according to the main complaint until satisfactory until.

The hearing compensation effect of hearing aids depends not only on the hearing aid threshold, but also on the discomfort threshold after hearing aid. For each child wearing a hearing aid, the discomfort threshold should be routinely determined while measuring the hearing aid threshold.

It is worth noting that any method of evaluating the effectiveness of hearing aids needs to be performed in different sound environments to have practical significance.

Especially for digital hearing aids, its function can be fully demonstrated only in a noisy environment.

Therefore, at the time of evaluation, children should at least listen to the test sound in different simulated noise environments, and if possible, the wearer should be allowed to experience the feeling after hearing aid in various environments.

3. Trying on and adapting hearing aids for children

After a preliminary evaluation of the effectiveness of the hearing aids, children should be tried on with the adult’s company. During the trials, pay attention to observe the children’s physical behavior for abnormalities, whether the ear mold damages the soft tissues, whether the hearing aids have feedback howling, children Response to various sounds, etc.

All children in Jiping level were more or less unsuited to hearing aids at the early stage of wearing, and those who responded strongly would refuse to wear them.

Never take coercive measures at this time, try to divert their attention to hearing aids or reduce the volume until they are turned off.

When performing auditory exercises, you should first listen to the sounds of bright rhythm but soft rhythm in a relatively quiet environment, in order to increase the interest of “listening”.

In order to prevent hearing fatigue, when starting the exercise, the sound should be from small to loud, the wearing time should be from short to long, and the sound environment should be from simple to complex.

When performing adaptive training, children should also practice listening and distinguishing the sound signals used in hearing tests and hearing aid evaluation in order to check and evaluate again.