Pediatric Hearing Aid Fitting Flashcards

Which standardized test battery is appropriate for evaluating speech perception in a 3-year-old with hearing aids?

Answer: Early Speech Perception (ESP) test

The ESP test uses a closed-set format with familiar words and pictures appropriate for young children's vocabulary and cognitive level.

A child returns for a hearing aid check and the parent reports increased feedback since the last visit. The MOST likely cause is:

Answer: Earmold that no longer fits due to ear canal growth

As children grow, earmolds become loose, creating a gap that allows amplified sound to leak back to the microphone and cause feedback.

Which organization publishes the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) position statements guiding newborn hearing screening and early intervention?

Answer: JCIH itself, with endorsement from multiple professional organizations

The JCIH position statements are consensus documents endorsed by AAA, ASHA, AAP, and other organizations, not authored by a single group.

According to EHDI (Early Hearing Detection and Intervention) guidelines, what is the recommended age for hearing aid fitting after confirmed hearing loss diagnosis?

Answer: By 6 months of age

EHDI 1-3-6 guidelines recommend screening by 1 month, diagnosis by 3 months, and enrollment in intervention including hearing aids by 6 months.

What pediatric-specific consideration should guide selection of hearing aid volume control and program button accessibility?

Answer: Controls should be lockable or deactivated to prevent accidental adjustment by the child

Locking or disabling manual controls prevents children from accidentally changing settings, ensuring consistent amplification.

Which audiological finding would MOST warrant immediate referral to an otolaryngologist before proceeding with hearing aid fitting?

Answer: Conductive hearing loss with middle ear fluid seen on otoscopy

Conductive loss with middle ear effusion may be medically treatable, and a physician evaluation should occur before fitting amplification.

In the context of pediatric hearing aid fittings, what is the primary purpose of using aided audibility targets from the speech banana?

Answer: To confirm that amplified speech sounds fall within the child's audible range for language learning

Placing amplified speech within the audible range across frequencies supports phoneme detection essential for speech and language acquisition.