Hearing Aid (Amplification) Program

The Hearing Aid (Amplification) Program at Boston Children's Hospital provides supportive care for children with hearing loss who need a hearing aid or other amplification device to help them hear speech and develop communication skills.

We offer a wide variety of amplification options, including hearing aids, contralateral routing of signal (CROS) aids, and bone anchored hearing systems (BAHS). These devices can help improve hearing and speech for children with hearing loss, especially in children with sensorineural hearing loss (hearing loss in the inner ear due to damaged hair cells or a damaged hearing nerve).

Boston Children’s Hearing Aid (Amplification) Program is the largest program of its kind for infants, children, and teens in New England. Since it was established in 2016, the program has matched more than 1,000 patients with hearing devices.

Missing out on important sounds can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to develop spoken language. Amplification can help fill this gap in hearing, giving your child a better chance to develop listening and communication skills.

Whether your child is just starting their hearing aid journey or have been using hearing aids for a long time, our goal is to find an amplification option that will work best for them.

Our audiologists are experts in the field of pediatric amplification who have a vast understanding of the products that can optimize a child’s ability to hear and communicate. Because each child’s hearing loss is different, our team takes the time to get to know each patient so we can make amplification recommendations specific to their hearing and communication needs.

Using state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques, we match patients with an amplification device that will work best for them. Depending on the patient’s age, physical abilities, medical conditions, and personal preferences, we may recommend:

1. Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids
2. Receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) hearing aids
3. In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids
4. Contralateral routing of signal (CROS) hearing aids
5. Bone anchored hearing systems (BAHS)

Because purchasing a hearing aid is rarely a simple decision, we offer a loaner program that gives patients a chance to try out a hearing device before their family makes the purchase.

We often help personalize hearing aids to make them unique and special for each patient. With a large variety of hearing aid colors, earmold colors and logos, stickers, and accessories, we strive to make every set of hearing aids as unique as the child wearing them.

Hearing aid technology has progressed rapidly over the past few years. As experts in pediatric audiology, we understand that children’s hearing aids are programmed differently than adult hearing aids. These differences enhance a child’s access to speech and language for developmental and communication purposes. 

Once we have fitted a patient with a hearing device, we use state-of-the-art equipment to verify the amplification and confirm that patients are benefiting from that device.

We also work closely with specialists throughout Boston Children’s to ensure our patients receive comprehensive care. For instance:

• The Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement conducts full medical workups to understand the cause of each patient’s hearing loss and provides appropriate medical care.
• The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program provides evaluation and consultation services to help determine the best communication and educational goals for each patient. We work closely with this program to help encourage psychosocial wellbeing of our patients, academic support and community gatherings to foster support.
• The Cochlear Implant Program provides consultation as needed for children with severe to profound hearing loss. 
• Sound Outreach to Schools (SOS), an educational audiology program, provides services to students with all types of auditory disorders in Massachusetts school systems and those in surrounding areas. The SOS program allows us to foster close relationships with schools and specialists throughout Massachusetts to help our patients succeed in school.

Whether your child needs one hearing aid or two, has slight hearing loss or profound hearing loss, is new to amplification or has had super ears for many years, our specialists are here to help you find the best amplification option.