Comprehensive Treatment for Hearing and Communication Problems in Children
Hearing is crucial to a child’s social and cognitive development, and a hearing problem can have a lasting impact on a child’s ability to learn to speak and process language.
The pediatric audiology team at Loyola Medicine offers help for the hearing and communication needs of children from birth through age 18. We provide children and their families the most advanced diagnosis and treatments in the field of audiology.
Loyola’s audiologists partner with pediatricians, developmental specialists, speech therapists, reconstructive surgeons and otolaryngologists to offer treatment and support for a range of hearing problems, including:
- Apraxia of speech
- Auditory neuropathy
- Auditory processing disorders
- Deafness
- Ear injuries
- Genetic hearing loss
- Language and speech delays
- Nonverbal communication
- Tongue thrust
- Voice and resonance disorders
Loyola’s pediatric audiologists put your family at the center of care, providing advanced diagnosis, treatment and support to children of all ages who have hearing loss. We will create an individualized treatment plan to help your child hear and communicate better. If needed, we will refer your child to an ear, nose and throat specialist for additional tests or treatments.
Why Choose Loyola for Pediatric Audiology?
Loyola is committed to the compassionate diagnosis and care of our youngest patients with hearing problems. Loyola’s pediatric audiology team is specially trained in the treatment of children and provides care in a compassionate, family-friendly environment.
Our pediatric specialists are at the forefront of medicine and are actively pursuing research to find new methods of treatment for hearing loss and hearing problems in children.
We want you to feel comfortable asking any questions you may have about your child’s condition or treatment options. Your child’s healthcare team will address all of your concerns and make your child’s care our number one priority.
At Loyola, we understand the importance of continuity of care and will provide seamless communication with your child’s pediatrician through our secure medical information portal, Loyola Connect. You can also access results from your child’s lab tests and evaluations through myLoyola.
How are Hearing Problems in Children Diagnosed?
Children should have regular, comprehensive hearing screenings, even when they are very young; in fact, current technology allows us to test the hearing of a child who is only a few hours old.
Children who seem to have normal hearing should continue to have their hearing evaluated, typically each year from kindergarten through third grade, as well as in seventh and 11th grades.
Loyola’s pediatric audiologists will tailor the evaluation to your child’s age, abilities and unique conditions. Your child’s hearing tests and screenings may include:
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) for children who are too young to respond
- Auditory processing disorders
- Auditory steady state response (ASSR) evaluation
- Middle ear muscle reflex
- Otoacoustic emissions test
- Speech and voice evaluation
- Tympanometry to measure middle ear function
The goal of Loyola’s pediatric audiology specialists is to provide a diagnosis and a comprehensive treatment plan for your child as soon as possible.
How are Hearing Problems in Children Treated?
Your child’s pediatric audiologist understands that your child’s hearing loss is negatively impacting his or her life. Our primary goal is to improve your child’s hearing so that he or she can return to everyday activities.
Your child’s doctor will provide an individualized plan of treatment for your child’s unique condition, taking into account his or her day-to-day activities and medical history. Treatment may include:
- Bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA®)
- Cochlear implant
- Eardrum reconstruction and repair
- External hearing aids
- Middle ear implants, including stapedectomy and ossiculoplasty
- Removal of wax or fluid in the ears
Learn more about Loyola’s audiology surgical services.
In addition to medical interventions, your child’s audiology team will arrange speech and hearing rehabilitation services, including auditory or listening therapy and speech (lip) reading.
If your child receives hearing aids or a cochlear implant, we will help your family learn to maintain and care for them.
