Outcomes of Children
FAQ
If you have any questions about the study, please email us and we will get back to you.
If I enrol my child on the study, what does it involve?
Why does my child's hearing aid settings need to be changed so often?
Why does my child only get assessed three times whereas Baby B gets assessed five times?
When we first joined the study, my child had hearing aids and she’s been assessed two times already. She received a cochlear implant in January 2007. Could she still participate in the study?
Answers
If I enrol my child on the study, what does it involve?
- Depending on the age of your child when he/she enrols, we will assess him/her four to five times over several years. The assessments would normally be carried out jointly by professionals at early intervention centres and at NAL.
- 6 months after your child first receives hearing aids/cochlear implants, we will conduct the first assessment. Your child’s progress will be monitored over the next several years at 12 months and 24 months after fitting, and subsequently when your child turns 3 and 5 years of age.
Why does my child only get assessed three times whereas Baby B gets assessed five times?
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Your child was born in May 2004 and he first received hearing aids in December 2005. Your family joined the study in March 2007 which is 25 months after his first fitting, therefore, he will be assessed two times:
Assessment interval Date 6 mths post hearing aid fitting June 2006 - Not enrolled yet 12 mths post hearing aid fitting December 2006 – Not enrolled yet 3 yrs of age May/June 2007 5 yrs of age May 2009 Baby B was born in December 2006. She was found to have a hearing loss and received her first hearing aids in February 2007. Her family enrolled on the outcomes study on the same day. Therefore, she will be assessed at:
Assessment interval Date 6 mths post hearing aid fitting August 2007 12 mths post hearing aid fitting February 2008 3 yrs of age December 2009 5 yrs of age December 2011
When we first joined the study, my child had hearing aids and she’s been assessed two times already. She received a cochlear implant in January 2007. Could she still participate in the study?
Yes. In fact, information we learn from your child’s assessments will contribute to determining whether early performance with hearing aids could be used to predict later performance with cochlear implants.
We will assess your child four times after implantation.
Assessment interval Date 6 mths post hearing aid fitting May 2006 – Done 12 mths post hearing aid fitting November 2006 – Done 6 mths post cochlear implant July 2007 12 mths post cochlear implant January 2008 3 yrs of age September 2008 5 yrs of age September 2010
Why does my child's hearing aid settings need to be changed so often?
Finding the best settings for your child’s hearing aids is a bit like solving a puzzle. The more information an audiologist knows about your child’s hearing loss, the better they can understand it. The audiologist is then able to adjust the hearing aids to best match your child’s needs.
There are three common reasons why hearing aid settings need to be changed:
Your child’s hearing has changed – Some children’s hearing changes over time. When this occurs the audiologist changes the loudness of the hearing aid. In some instances a different type of hearing aid may be required.
More accurate information about your child’s hearing is obtained – Before your child is able tell you how well they can hear, audiologists measure the hearing nerves’ response to sound, and then estimate your child’s audiogram. As they grow, many children begin to let us know what they can hear by reacting to noise, for example, turning their head towards a sound. These responses give us more information about what your child hears and the hearing aid settings can be more finely adjusted as your child gets older.
Your child’s ears have grown – For the first three years of your child’s life, the size of the ear canal grows rapidly and affects the hearing aid setting. Audiologists need to regularly predict or measure the size of the ear canal to adjust hearing aid settings for your child’s needs.