HAC Pediatric Hearing Aid Fitting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which earmold material is generally preferred for active infants and toddlers due to safety and flexibility?
- Hard acrylic
- Soft silicone (Correct answer)
- Polyethylene foam
- Fiberglass composite
Correct answer: Soft silicone
Soft silicone earmolds are safer and more comfortable for young children, reducing injury risk and improving retention.
Question 2: How often should earmolds typically be remade for rapidly growing infants in the first year of life?
- Every 3–4 months (Correct answer)
- Every 6–12 months
- Once a year
- Only when feedback occurs
Correct answer: Every 3–4 months
Infant ear canals grow rapidly, so earmolds may need replacement every 3–4 months to maintain a proper acoustic seal and prevent feedback.
Question 3: A child with a unilateral mild-to-moderate hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other is best served by:
- Bilateral hearing aids
- A single hearing aid on the impaired ear (Correct answer)
- A CROS fitting
- No amplification until school age
Correct answer: A single hearing aid on the impaired ear
A single hearing aid on the impaired ear helps restore binaural hearing advantages and supports speech and language development.
Question 4: During a pediatric hearing aid orientation, which topic is LEAST relevant to cover with parents?
- Battery safety and storage
- Hearing aid cleaning and maintenance
- Insurance billing codes used by the audiologist (Correct answer)
- Expectations for adjustment and follow-up
Correct answer: Insurance billing codes used by the audiologist
Insurance billing codes are administrative details that parents do not need to understand to successfully manage their child's hearing aids.
Question 5: What does the term 'audibility index' (AI) or 'speech intelligibility index' (SII) measure in pediatric fittings?
- The child's ability to repeat words correctly
- The proportion of the long-term average speech spectrum audible to the child (Correct answer)
- The loudness of hearing aid output
- The number of channels in the hearing aid
Correct answer: The proportion of the long-term average speech spectrum audible to the child
The SII quantifies how much of the speech signal is audible, helping audiologists verify that amplification targets are met.
Question 6: A parent reports that their toddler consistently removes the hearing aid. The FIRST recommended strategy is:
- Discontinue hearing aid use until the child is older
- Use a retention device such as a clip or headband (Correct answer)
- Switch to a cochlear implant evaluation
- Reduce the volume to make the aid more tolerable
Correct answer: Use a retention device such as a clip or headband
Retention devices like huggies, clips, or headbands help keep hearing aids in place on young children who pull them off.
Question 7: When fitting a child with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD), the audiologist should:
- Always fit hearing aids immediately using ABR thresholds
- Use behavioral thresholds when available and monitor outcomes carefully (Correct answer)
- Avoid amplification until cochlear implant candidacy is assessed
- Fit based on OAE results only
Correct answer: Use behavioral thresholds when available and monitor outcomes carefully
Behavioral thresholds are more reliable for ANSD, and careful outcome monitoring is essential because amplification benefit varies widely.
HAC Pediatric Hearing Aid Fitting 3
Which earmold material is generally preferred for active infants and toddlers due to safety and flexibility?