Types of hearing aids
Different types of hearing aids may be more suitable for different types and levels of deafness.
There are a variety of hearing aids available suitable for children and young people with different types of deafness. The most appropriate hearing aid will depend on factors such as type and degree of deafness, and the age of the child or young person. Your audiologist can advise on the most appropriate type of hearing aid.
Behind-the-ear hearing aids
The most common type of hearing aid worn by children are behind-the-ear hearing aids. They are suitable for most types of deafness, and for very young babies upwards.
More about behind-the-ear hearing aids.
Bone conduction hearing aids
Bone conduction hearing aids use vibrations to transmit sound through the bones of the skull. They are suitable for children who have conductive deafness. This could be caused by microtia (underdevelopment of the outer ear), atresia (underdevelopment of the ear canal), chronic ear infections or longstanding glue ear. They’re also suitable for mixed deafness or unilateral deafness.
More about bone conduction hearing aids.
In-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing aids
These hearing aids fit into the ear and are smaller and less noticeable. Due to their small size, they are only suitable for some older children with mild or moderate deafness. They are not normally provided by the NHS.
More about in-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing aids.
CROS and BiCROS hearing aids
CROS aids are designed for children with unilateral deafness, where one ear has typical hearing and the other has little or no hearing. The system transmits sound from the deaf ear to the hearing ear. A BiCROS works similarly but is for children with asymmetrical deafness, where one ear has significantly better hearing than the other.
Full references for this webpage are available by emailing
informationteam@ndcs.org.uk