Encouraging Your Child

Counseling Issues

After the child is fitted with hearing aids, there may be a period of adjustment that follows. Part of this process may include counseling for both the child and family members. Informal counseling may also be helpful. Talk to parents of other children with hearing loss in the community. These parents are experienced. They understand and have encountered the same challenges and opportunities as you. They may have suggestions and additional resources to recommend. Forming a "support team" of parents and educators will go a long way in facilitating a child's social and scholastic progress.

Teachers, therapists and others who interact with school-age children with hearing loss should be kept informed about the child's progress and particular challenges. It's important to offer patience, attention, love, and support to help the child continue to develop along with his or her classmates.

The first time your child wears their hearing aids, he or she may need some time to adjust to all the sounds surrounding them. This process might be a bit longer than you expect, but keep a positive and relaxed attitude. Engage your child in exploring their new environment. With encouragement, the hearing aids should be accepted and successfully worn by your child.

When Your Child Says "I don't want to wear them today."

There will likely be times when your child, for whatever reason, simply won't want to wear his or her hearing aids. When this happens, it is best to remain calm and try to find out the reason. Try to get as many details as possible and report them to your Hearing Care Professional. Begin by exploring these questions:

Remember that for a child wearing hearing aids for the first time, there can be a normal period of adjustment before any issues of personal comfort and emotional security are resolved. It is important to be patient and explain the benefits of wearing the aids to a child who is old enough to understand. Once you discover the problem, you can work to solve it together. The most important thing is to get the hearing aid back on your child quickly.

For infants and very small children who try to remove the hearing aid, parents should be firm and place them back in the ear as soon as possible - do not allow the child to keep removing them.

Contact a Local Hearing Care Professional

To get more information, contact a Hearing Care Professional. To find one in your area, enter your ZIP code in the form on the left, or go to our search page to search by an entire state. Make sure that the Hearing Care Professional you choose offers pediatric services.