“…a few of our favorite things”

Abstract

Rewarding as pediatric audiology is, we think most of us will agree that it is also a great challenge. Working with children and their caregivers puts your knowledge, patience, and fortitude to the test. We would like to share with you some very basic, non-technical strategies that aid us in working with the child and family. (1) Schedule time with the parents After identifying a child with hearing loss, we invite the parents to come to the office for a meeting, to share information and discuss their child. We try to involve both parents and, in single-parent households, aunts, uncles, or grandparents are encouraged to join us. When all primary caregivers are actively involved in the management process, it benefits the child. To this end, we often flex our office hours to provide early morning or evening appointments, to accommodate a parent who has difficulty leaving work to attend. By the time we hold our first parent meeting, some time has elapsed since the family initially learned of the hearing loss, and they have a number of questions and concerns. We try to give them the time and space to express themselves, and provide as much information as they want or need. We discuss options for amplification and, when appropriate, identify community and educational resources. We provide as much of this information in writing as possible. To help them grasp the meaning of the audiogram, we sometimes find it helpful to play a recording that simulates their child's hearing loss. A second parent meeting is scheduled the day before the hearing aid fitting. We have the hearing aids pre-programmed for the child, and use this opportunity to discuss and demonstrate hearing aid care and use, troubleshooting, and strategies that encourage acceptance. This gets the parents comfortable with handling and listening to the hearing aids. (2) Connect the parents While we make ourselves as available as possible to answer questions, we have also begun to give our computer-savvy parents a few reputable web site addresses. We encourage involvement in organizations like AG Bell, and have the names and telephone numbers of other parents who have volunteered to offer a good ear, encouragement and assistance. (3) Provide the right tools Each family receives a kit that includes a hearing aid stethoscope for listening checks, cleaning tools, a battery tester, an earmold blower, a drying jar, and a lubricant such as Otoease. As needed, we may add Otoclips, Huggies, Superseals, or other supplies. Our pre-school and young elementary school children receive a copy of Patrick Gets a Hearing Aid, and we encourage the parents to read it aloud. We also find it helpful to customize lists of listening and compensatory strategies appropriate for the home and school. (4) Toys, toys, toys We have found that having a good selection of playthings makes the fitting day much easier when dealing with toddlers or pre-schoolers. If the child tries to remove or play with the aids, we immediately pull out a fascinating toy and demonstrate to the parents the fine art of distraction. (5) Make hearing aids fun Hot pink, red, or royal blue hearing aids, earmolds with a blast of color and some glitter added. These are kid-friendly, and they like them. Taking ear impressions becomes a breeze when the child is excited about choosing a new earmold color. (6) Provide role models One of the questions many parents seem to harbor but rarely ask is, “Will my child lead a normal life?” To provide encouragement and open up discussion, we have collected numerous photos of “our kids” in football, baseball, and hockey uniforms, dressed for the prom, posing in their college dorm rooms, horsing around with their friends, and living life to the fullest.Figure. SheaFigure. CaldwellAs the song goes, “These are a few of our favorite things”—little things that make a big difference. And, at the end of a long day, the greatest reward is seeing the smile on that child's face as the door to the world of sound is opened and the journey has begun.