Audiology services
Audiology clinics carry out a range of services, including:
- performing hearing tests
- telling you about the type and level of hearing loss that your child has
- finding out if hearing aids will be useful and, if so, supplying them
- providing earmoulds for your child’s hearing aids
- helping you maintain your child’s hearing aids
- monitoring your child’s hearing levels
- referring you to education support services for deaf children
- working with other professionals, such as ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors and Teachers of the Deaf, to provide support to you and your child.
Hearing test results are commonly plotted on a graph known as an audiogram. NHS guidance says that raw data (test results) should be explained in person and not copied to the patient. Parents therefore don’t have a right to copies of the audiogram/other test results.
However, most audiologists are more than happy to print off an extra copy at the time of the appointment if parents ask. WSDCS believes it is good practice for parents to be given copies of audiograms along with a full explanation of what they mean.
What Audiology clinic will my child attend?
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland you will normally be referred to your nearest Audiology clinic.
There will be times when your child may need to visit a specialist centre further away. Some reasons for this may be because they are:
- still very young and require specialist test techniques
- having their very first hearing aids fitted
- having specialist medical tests done to determine the cause of their deafness
- having specialist balance testing done
- being assessed for implantable hearing devices, such as cochlear implants or bone conduction hearing tests
Still have questions?
Our team are here to support you.
Next section:
Stories from families
You’re not alone. Read about the experiences of some of the families in our community.