Children's Hearing Assessments
It is important for language, social and educational development, that children have good access to sound.
Most permanent hearing losses will be detected at birth through the newborn hearing screening programme. However, there are a high proportion of children that develop intermittent hearing problems due to middle ear effusion, commonly known as ‘glue ear’.
Glue ear is very common – 1 in 5 pre-school children have glue ear at any one time and 8 out of 10 children will experience glue ear before the age of 10.
What is glue ear?
Glue ear happens when the middle ear (behind the eardrum) becomes filled with a sticky, mucus type fluid. With fluid blocking the middle ear, it becomes harder for sound to pass through to the inner ear, making quieter sounds difficult to hear. Glue ear can affect one or both ears and can often fluctuate.
Some possible indicators of glue ear:
- Not responding when called
- Saying ‘what?’ or ‘pardon’ a lot
- Changes in behaviour
- Preferring to play alone
- Speech concerns
- Becoming tired
- School raising concerns about listening or ability to follow instructions
- Struggling to concentrate
- Preferring TV/tablet volume to be turned up
- Regular colds or earache.
Assessment – Age 5 and above
Ear Care Specialists can assess your child’s hearing, determining if ‘glue ear’ is likely present and if so, what impact it is having on your child’s hearing. Our specialist paediatric audiologist has years of experience working with children with additional needs and neurodivergent populations so you can be assured of an age and developmentally appropriate assessment. As a guide, our assessments aim to include:
- Clinical history
- Otoscopy (looking in the ears)
- Tympanometry (a middle ear health check)
- Age-appropriate hearing test
Please note, ear wax removal is not always possible in younger children. Please get in touch with us to discuss this more, if required.
Our specialist will discuss the results with you during the appointment and you will receive a clinical report for your records. Management advice will be provided depending on your child’s needs and, if required, we have a trusted ENT surgeon that we can offer onward referral to.
Children’s Hearing Needs Assessment
A comprehensive hearing assessment including video otoscopy, middle ear evaluation and age-appropriate audiometry. Suitable for children aged 5 and up. Please note, we require a referral from your child’s school before this appointment can take place – we will send you this form electronically upon booking.
Time: 75 minutes | £119.00
Where to find us
Ear Care Specialists
📍 637 Mansfield Road, Sherwood. Nottingham. NG5 2FX.
