Paediatric audiology and audio-vestibular medicine

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Expert hearing and balance services for children and babies

Audiological conditions in children such as recurrent ear infections and middle ear effusion, commonly known as glue ear, can be common. However, your child may also have a condition that needs more thorough investigation and ongoing specialist support such as permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL). If your child has difficulties with hearing or balance, our expert audiology team is here to help you quickly get the right diagnosis and the specialist treatment they need.

While parents are often referred to our team by a GP, paediatrician or a paediatric ENT surgeon, you can also self-refer. Audiology is a complex field and as the largest private provider of hearing services in the UK, we're able to offer your child the excellent support and care service they need.

Hearing loss assessment

If your child is experiencing hearing loss, we understand it can be a concerning time. Our audiologists use age-appropriate hearing evaluations to help determine the degree and type of hearing loss. The results are then explained and appropriate recommendations will be given. One of the most common causes of temporary hearing loss is middle ear effusion (Otitis media) for which you can consult one of our Paediatric ENT specialists. They will then monitor and manage your child’s hearing loss over a period, following which they may recommend to surgically insert small plastic tubes called grommets in their ears.

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Assessment and rehabilitation for balance issues

If your child has balance issues, they may have an inner ear condition such as labyrinthitis, vestibular neuronitis or benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). We recommend a consultation with one of our paediatric audio vestibular physicians (AVPs) who can assess your child and may refer them for further investigations and/ or rehabilitation. We can explain how these services work together and support your child through diagnosis and treatment.

Auditory processing disorder (APD) testing

Does your child struggle to distinguish between sounds or do they have trouble understanding speech in a noisy environment? If so, they may have APD – a hearing condition that makes it hard for the brain to interpret sounds correctly especially in noisy spaces. We can assess your child for APD and our specialist Audio Vestibular Consultant will diagnose and manage the condition.

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Cochlear implants

If your child has severe hearing loss, they may benefit greatly from cochlear implants. These small hearing devices, placed under their skin behind their ear during surgery, are more effective than acoustic hearing aids. They work by stimulating the nerves in your child’s inner ear to restore some of your child’s hearing.