Like our overall health, hearing health is essential for people of all ages. This is even more important for infants, children, and teens. During the formative years of kids, not visiting a hearing doctor to address their hearing loss can affect them in the following ways:
- Poor communication skills
- Lack of social skills
- Poor cognitive development
With the introduction of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, families now have more treatment options for hearing loss. But here’s a burning question, are OTC hearing aids safe for children and teens? Read on to discover what audiology doctors at Audiology Island think about this question.
What exactly are OTC Hearing Aids?
With OTC hearing aids, you can easily address mild to moderate hearing loss. They are not prescription hearing aids. As such, you can always visit your preferred hearing aid store to purchase them without the need for a medical evaluation. Besides, these hearing aids always come at more affordable prices than prescription devices.
The affordability and accessibility of OTC devices make them the favorite for most adults out there today. However, when it comes to children and teens, the suitability of these devices still needs to be checked.
Understanding hearing loss in children and teens
Many factors contribute to why teens and children experience hearing loss today. Some common causes include:
- Ear infections
- Prolonged exposure to noise
- Congenital conditions
- Trauma
When left untreated, hearing loss can lead to complications issues in children and teens. To avoid these issues, early diagnosis is crucial. Identifying and treating hearing loss early enough helps to ensure proper development of the children’s communication skills, social skills, and cognitive skills.
Are OTC hearing aids ideal for children?
Hearing loss in children and teens is very different from that of adults. This explains why it’s usually not recommended to buy OTC hearing aids for the younger ones. Below are a few other reasons why OTC devices aren’t ideal for children:
- OTC devices are designed for people will mild to moderate hearing loss. Affected people only suspect their conditions aren’t severe without any professional diagnosis. Even if the condition is mild, certainly underlying conditions can complicate the hearing loss over time. By giving children OTC hearing aids without professional evaluation, you may end up not addressing the condition properly.
- Another issue with OTC hearing aids for kids is that it’s hard to find the right fit. Unfortunately, devices with improper fit will end up causing discomfort and feedback issues. If care isn’t taken, these devices may end up damaging the ear canal over time.
- Looking at it from a child’s development perspective, more amplification is crucial to improve hearing health for young users. Today, most OTC devices don’t have advanced features, such as integration with classroom technology. As such, they are usually not advisable for children.
How can audiologists at Audiology Island help?
The best way to address your child’s hearing loss is by visiting the best audiology doctors. Top audiologists at Audiology Island provide diagnostic testing. This helps them to identify the underlying cause of a child’s condition. By identifying the cause, tailored treatment plans can be provided to address the issue.
Bottom line: it makes more sense to go for prescription hearing aids for children and teens. These devices are safer than OTC devices.
OTC devices can be manageable for older teens with mild hearing loss and no other underlying condition. Even at that, it still makes sense to consult with hearing aid doctors before buying the device.