Best Hearing Aids for Kids and Teens

Children with hearing loss face many challenges during different stages of life, from infancy through the school years, and beyond. Hearing loss will impact their life differently in the transition from being in the security of your home to being on their own in challenging environments such as school, sports, and other activities.

Studies have shown that early detection and intervention can vastly improve their abilities to develop language skills on a par with hearing peers. These interventions include early family-centered therapy, speech therapies, assistive listening devices, and, of course, hearing aids.

Hearing Aids and Childhood Development

Hearing aids, in particular, are vital to the development of children and teens. Studies have shown that consistent use of hearing aids for children with hearing loss benefits in many ways:

• Although hearing loss happens in the ears, the real effect is in the brain’s auditory centers, so the brain structures must be stimulated to develop. The ears receive the sound, and send signals to the brain, where they are processed to give meaning.
• In order to develop full, rich verbal language, children must be able to tune into the speech sounds around them. It is critical to hear as much as possible during waking hours to support language development, which includes vocabulary, sentence structure, and speaking.
• Hearing aids improve self-confidence and esteem, which, in turn, help with the development of social functioning, academic achievement, and vocational success.

Makers and developers of the latest hearing aid technology have focused on the challenges of hearing impaired children and teens, and offer many safe and resilient hearing aids options to meet their ever-changing needs as they progress from infancy to adolescence.

Best Hearing Aids for Kids & Teens

Siemens Active Kids and Teens Portfolio feature several options. The Carat A connects to FM assistive listening systems and streams sound directly to kids’ ears – an asset in the classroom. It also improves speech in noise and wind. The Pure hearing aid is discreetly designed and rechargeable, with many high-tech features.

For teens, Siemens offers Motion SX, SA, and PX, rechargeable hearing aids with the capacity to treat higher degrees of hearing loss. The Nitro hearing aid is designed specifically to address severe to profound hearing loss. Insio is a discreet, in-the-ear hearing aid. For more active kids, the fully waterproof Aquaris provides great sound in any environment, whether it’s the pool or the classroom.

Oticon offers their Sensei line of fully automatic, durable and customizable hearing aids that provide high quality and fast sound processing, adaptive directionality, noise management and feedback cancellation. Equipped with BrainHearing Technology, it is designed to support the brain in the listening process. Sensei is equipped with Voice Priority to enhance speech intelligibility in the classroom, and is a wireless hearing aid, connecting to TV, phones, and Bluetooth audio sources.

ReSound offers Up Smart Hearing Aids for children. As a behind-the-ear hearing aid, it grows with your child, providing comfort, stability, durability and tamperproof casings. It is equipped with excellent speech recognition and noise cancellation features, and a line of wireless assistive listening devices, supporting classroom performance by enhancing the teacher’s voice and cutting out distracting background noise.

Starkey offers hearing aids with kid-friendly features and colors equipped with BluWave 3.0, a fast operating system to balance sounds from the environment, and are tamperproof and resistant to water and debris. Starkey hearing aids provide kids with a clear and comfortable listening experience, customizable to give kids an opportunity to share their personalities. Starkey’s Dynamic Direct Audio Input gives kids an extra boost through an FM assistive listening device, excellent for academic use.

Phonak has dedicated four decades to developing hearing aids designed specifically for children and teen: the Sky V offers durable behind-the-ear hearing aids. With automatic adjustment to any environment and optimal auditory input, Sky V encourages learning and language development. The simple controls indicate when the battery is low and when the different features and programs have been activated.

Widex offers several hearing aids targeting different age groups in childhood. The Widex BABY hearing aid provides babies with access to sounds in their environment, supporting their language and speech development. This hearing aid is very small in size, designed to fit in the smallest ears, safely and securely. For older children, the entire catalogue of Widex hearing aids is available, with the same robust Widex features available to adults.

You don’t have to live with untreated hearing loss. Contact us today!

Arizona Balance and Hearing Aids
333 W Thomas Rd. Suite 208a
Phoenix, AZ 85013
(602) 265-9000

[email protected]