The hearing experts at MU Health Care's ENT, Hearing and Balance Center work closely with both our ear, nose and throat (ENT) and children's therapy specialists to offer full-service pediatric hearing services to our youngest patients.
Our certified audiologists use age-appropriate and clinically-proven techniques to diagnose and treat your child's hearing loss and balance disorders. We offer pediatric hearing evaluations, special testing services such as newborn screenings, hearing aid services, cochlear implants, and bone anchored hearing prosthesis.
Hearing evaluations
We offer hearing evaluations to infants as young as six months, which include a behavioral assessment when possible (physical responses to a set of instructions) and evaluation of middle ear function. We'll thoroughly discuss results and what they mean for your child, as well as offer our treatment recommendations.
Special testing services
Our audiologists provide specialized testing services such as auditory brainstem response (ABR), a non-invasive procedure that measures the function of the auditory nerve in response to sound. Newborn ABR screenings are provided to our youngest patients to detect hearing loss in infants from birth to three months. Our clinic also performs pediatric ABR testing. This procedure takes place with or without mild sedation while the child is closely monitored at all times.
Hearing aid services
Once hearing loss is diagnosed, your child will be referred to our ENT specialists and scheduled for a hearing aid evaluation with an audiologist. Your child's audiologist will recommend the appropriate hearing aid for your child's age and level of hearing loss, and take earmold impressions, if necessary. We offer a variety of hearing aids including bone anchored hearing prosthesis and cochlear implants. Learn more about our hearing aid services.
Cochlear implants
Children 12 months and older with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears who receive little to no benefit from hearing aids may be a candidate for a cochlear implant. Services include evaluation for candidacy, programming of the implant after surgery, aural rehabilitation and follow-up. Cochlear implant equipment, supplies and services are available at our center. Learn more about cochlear implants.
Bone Anchored Hearing Prosthesis
Bone anchored hearing prostheses are devices that allow sound to be conducted through the bone instead of the outer and middle ear. They are designed for individuals with conductive or mixed loss, or for single-sided deafness.
Vestibular evaluations
Vestibular disorders, an inner ear disorder that affects your balance, can be caused by an injury, illness, or another condition. The most common include benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, Meniere's Disease and vestibular migraine. Our audiologists offer specialized testing and treatment options to treat vestibular disorders in our pediatric patients.
Balance evaluations are composed of several non-invasive, painless tests of the vestibular system which are analyzed and interpreted by a trained audiologist. These tests require specialized equipment and careful adherence to provided instructions.
