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Hearing Health: Diagnostic and assessment services for a child or young person under 21 years

Hearing Health: Diagnostic and assessment services for a child or young person under 21 years

Diagnostic audiology assessment provides a more complete picture of a child's hearing. An audiologist, who is a specialist in hearing, will carry out the tests.

What happens after a child has been screened?

Newborn babies

When the SWISH screening program indicates follow-up is required, a baby will be referred to a SWISH diagnostic audiology service in one of the following specialist paediatric hospitals or associated clinics:

The following clinics also have expertise and equipment in diagnostic audiology:

Jim Patrick Audiology Centre, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, Sydney
Macquarie University Audiology

Older babies and children

When a hearing screening or referral recommends the need for a diagnostic audiology assessment the child could be referred to one of the following services:

Australian Hearing
Diagnostic audiology at a hospital or local Community Health Centre
Diagnostic audiology services in specialist paediatric hospitals:
Private audiologist (see www.audiology.asn.au)

The following clinics also have expertise and equipment in diagnostic audiology:

Jim Patrick Audiology Centre, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, Sydney
Macquarie University Audiology

At this time families may also be interested in obtaining information from groups or agencies established to support families and children with hearing problems.

Healthcare providers may be able to recommend support groups, advocacy bodies or associations that are relevant to individual circumstances.

The following websites may be useful in providing information about groups that are relevant to individual circumstances.

Click here for more information on support agencies

What happens if a child is found to have normal hearing?

Hearing may not always remain the same over time.

It is important to monitor your baby's speech and language development as well as responses to sound.

You may refer to the checklist in the Personal Health Record (Blue Book) or click here for the NSW State-wide Infant Screening - Hearing (SWISH) Program Hearing Checklist.

If you are concerned about your child's hearing or speech and language development, please arrange to have your child's hearing tested. Your doctor can arrange for a referral to an appropriate location for testing your child's hearing.

This web page is managed and authorised by Primary Health & Community Partnerships of the NSW Department of Health. Last updated: 17 March, 2009