Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids sit behind your child’s ears and connect through a small tube to a custom-fit earpiece called an earmold. A microphone picks up sounds, and the hearing aid processes and makes those sounds louder before sending them through the earmold into your child’s ear.

Your child’s audiologist programs the hearing aids for their specific hearing needs, helping them hear speech and everyday sounds at comfortable levels. As your child grows, the earmolds can be replaced while keeping the same hearing aids.

Our pediatric audiologists will help your family choose the right hearing aids, explain how to use and care for them, and provide ongoing adjustments and support.

Bone conduction hearing devices may help children whose hearing loss involves the outer or middle ear, or children who are deaf in one ear. These devices pick up sound and turn it into gentle vibrations that travel through the bone to the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear. For children who are deaf in one ear, the vibrations carry sound to the better-hearing ear.

Young children can wear the device on a soft headband, allowing them to use it without surgery. A surgically implanted option may be available depending on your child’s age, hearing needs, and the type of device.

Our pediatric audiologists will help determine whether a bone conduction hearing device is a good fit for your child, explain the available options, and guide your family through using and caring for it.

Cochlear implants give children access to sound by sending signals directly to the hearing nerve. They work differently from hearing aids, which amplify sound.

The system includes a sound processor worn on the ear or head and an implant placed beneath the skin during surgery. Microphones in the processor pick up nearby sounds. The processor sends that information to the implant, which turns it into electrical signals. A small group of electrodes inside the inner ear delivers those signals to the hearing nerve, and the nerve carries them to the brain.

Could a cochlear implant help my child?

An implant may be considered when a child has severe to profound hearing loss and hearing aids are not providing enough access to sound to support listening and spoken language development. It may also be an option for some children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.

Children make progress at different rates. Their experience can depend on when their hearing loss began, what caused it, their age at implantation, and how regularly they use their processor. Family involvement and ongoing support also play a role.

Finding the right fit for your child

Depending on your child’s needs, an implant may be considered for one ear or both. Your family will work with hearing care professionals, a surgeon, and other specialists to understand the benefits, discuss expectations, and decide whether a cochlear implant supports your child’s needs and your family’s goals.