Fitting hearing aids on infants and children: a primer for otolaryngologists

Fitting hearing aids on young infants presents a unique set of problems, and to some extent, requires a unique set of skills. First, a complete, frequency-specific evoked potential assessment is needed to define the loss and establish hearing aid fitting targets. The selected hearing aids must be flexible and must be adjusted to account for the acoustic characteristics of a small ear canal. Automatic volume control, wide dynamic range compression, directional microphones, and direct audio input are among the optional features to consider. In general, advanced technology, such as digital, programmable hearing aids offer the greatest flexibility in meeting the instrument-related challenges of the infant hearing-aid fitting. Finally, hearing aids are only one component of the management sequence. An early interventionist must be involved from the start to coordinate rehabilitation and ensure that the needs of the entire family are being met in the process.