Using a Hearing Aid

People of all ages use hearing aids. Hearing aids are appropriate for the very young and the very old, for those with minimal hearing loss and those with profound hearing loss.

Hearing aids are often the first step families take when introducing sound to a child with hearing loss. Babies with hearing loss can and should be fit with hearing aid(s) within the first months of life.

Research studies on adults have shown that people who have a hearing loss in both ears, but wear only one aid experience “auditory deprivation.” The loss of their ability to recognize speech in an unaided ear. For children with hearing loss in both ears, using two hearing aids can prevent auditory deprivation and help the child localize sound and hear better even in noisy environments. Use of amplification 100 percent of a child’s waking hours within two to three weeks of the initial fitting should be a goal for a child who is receiving his or her first set of hearing aids.

Remember, hearing is something we do all the time. If parents or hearing aid users have questions about how well a hearing aid is working, contact an audiologist.