Testing your child's hearing. - Telethon Speech and Hearing

Who tests hearing?
At Telethon Speech & Hearing, we employ only trained
paediatric audiologists who have experience working
with children.
Audiologists are university trained health professionals
who specialise in testing hearing and balance.
What happens next?
Once your child has been tested, the audiologist
will advise you on your child’s hearing levels and
make any recommendations. This might include
a referral to a speech pathologist or other health
professionals if required. We can also forward a report
of the assessment to your child’s GP or other health
specialist and provide guidance on what to do next.
For more information about hearing
testing at Telethon Speech & Hearing
or to make an appointment, please
call (08) 9387 9831.
Please note fees are payable on the day
and Medicare rebates do not apply. Check
with your health fund whether audiological
services are rebated.
36 Dodd Street, Wembley WA 6014
T 08 9387 9831 F 08 9387 9889
E hearing@tsh.org.au
tsh.org.au
Testing your
child’s hearing.
Paediatric Audiology Services
Photos Courtesy Roger Clark Photography
All information is correct at time of print

Audiology services at
Telethon Speech & Hearing
Telethon Speech & Hearing Centre for Children is
a non-profit organisation offering hearing testing
services for children of all ages including newborn
hearing screening for babies (up to three months)
and full diagnostic testing for infants, toddlers and
children up to 18 years.
As a specialist paediatric clinic, our audiologists have
extensive experience testing children including those who
have ongoing or additional medical issues. We are able to
test all children including those who:
• Are very young (including newborns)
• Are suffering from ongoing ear infections
• Have multiple disabilities
• Are showing speech/language delay
• Have been difficult to test in the past
Testing services are available for children of all ages and no
referral is required.
Why test hearing?
Poor hearing in a child can affect communication, social
and education outcomes because when children can’t hear,
they can’t learn. It’s vital that a child’s hearing is checked
at an early age and re-checked if they have ongoing ear
infections or have had serious illness.
An audiological (hearing) assessment by an audiologist will
test your child’s hearing as well as the general health of the
hearing system.
If you have any of the concerns below, your child should
have an audiological assessment:
• Concerns about speech development
• Concerns about listening
• Suspected ear infections
• Suspected hearing loss
• Poor educational outcomes
• Balance problems
Hearing problems can be temporary or permanent and
differ from child to child. Early diagnosis and intervention
for children with hearing impairments is critical.
How is hearing tested?
Before testing is conducted, the audiologist will discuss
your concerns and check any relevant medical or
developmental history.
The next step is to look in the child’s ears, similar to the
way a GP would. This is called an otoscopic examination
and allows the audiologist to look for signs of infection or
other abnormalities.
The audiologist may also perform an ear drum test.
This quick test involves placing a probe in the ear
canal to check for evidence of ear infections or other
abnormalities with or behind the ear drum. This test
is called tympanometry.
It’s also important to get an indication of the level
of sound the child can hear. The way this is tested
is dependent on the age and developmental age
of the child.
At the time of testing, your audiologist will explain each
test being undertaken and the results to be achieved.
For a more detailed explanation of the types of tests to
expect, please visit our website.