Hearing aids and implants
Different types of hearing devices, how they work and who they're suitable for.
Many deaf children and young people use hearing devices such as hearing aids or cochlear implants. Deciding whether to use hearing devices or not is a personal choice. Choosing a suitable hearing aid or implant will depend on a child’s age, as well as level and cause of deafness.
You may already be discussing some of these options with an audiologist, or you may want to learn more about the hearing device a child you work with uses. Take your time to learn about the different options, and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.
Hearing aids
Hearing aids are electronic devices designed to make sounds louder and clearer. They may be suitable for children and young people of all ages. They're customised for each child's specific type and level of deafness, including temporary deafness such as glue ear.
Cochlear implants
Cochlear implants are surgically implanted devices, with an external processor, that give a sensation of hearing by using electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve. They may be suitable for children and young people with severe to profound permanent deafness who don't benefit from hearing aids.
Bone conduction devices
Bone conduction devices send sound through the bones in the skull to the inner ear. They can be worn on a softband (non-surgical) or on a surgically implanted abutment or magnet. They're suitable for some children and young people with conductive, mixed or single-sided deafness who do not benefit from wearing a conventional hearing aid.
More about bone conduction devices
Middle ear implants
Middle ear implants are surgically implanted hearing aids. They send a signal to the middle ear, making the middle ear bones vibrate and helping more sound vibrations reach the inner ear (cochlea). They may be suitable for children over five who cannot use conventional hearing aids or bone conduction devices for medical reasons.
More about middle ear implants
Auditory brainstem implants
Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) create a sensation of hearing by directly stimulating the auditory brainstem, bypassing the ear and auditory nerve.
ABIs are still a fairly new development but may be suitable for children and young people who are profoundly deaf and cannot use cochlear implants, often because they do not have a cochlea or auditory nerve.
More about auditory brainstem implants
If technology is not right for you
There are a number of reasons why deaf children, young people and their families may not use hearing devices. Some cannot use hearing devices or do not benefit much from them due to their medical situation. Others choose not to use technology.
While hearing devices can support some deaf children to develop speech, there are communication approaches that do not rely on speech, such as sign language.
Full references for this webpage are available by emailing
informationteam@ndcs.org.uk