New Developments in Fitting Hearing Aids to Infants and Children

Pediatric audiologists who manage infants and children with hearing loss rely on evidence-based guidance to support their work. Although the main hearing aid fitting goals have remained the same, accruing research has introduced an updated approach for some pediatric hearing loss management situations. In particular, considerations for the application and provision of noise management and frequency lowering technologies in pediatric hearing aid fittings have evolved. Also, a decision support guide intended to facilitate case-by-case reasoning when considering hearing aids for infants and children with minimal/mild bilateral hearing loss is available. These topics will be discussed within the framework of a comprehensive pediatric hearing aid fitting protocol.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe how to assess candidacy for providing noise management and frequency lowering strategies in children’s hearing aids.
2. Describe how to appropriately implement noise management and frequency lowering strategies in children’s hearing aids.
3. Describe how to appropriately implement noise management and frequency lowering strategies in children’s hearing aids.