By: Karyn Voels Malesevic, AuD, CCC-A, Manager of Audiology and Family Services
Children who have Down Syndrome can often have hearing loss, so a therapy center that also has an Audiology Department onsite can make coordinating care easier. Their hearing loss may range from permanent and needing hearing aids to having frequent middle ear infections and require consistent hearing tests.
According to the research article Understanding Hearing and Hearing Loss in Children with Down Syndrome, “Children with Down Syndrome are at a greater risk for permanent and transient hearing loss as compared with their typically developing peers. Long-term consequences of late or failed diagnosis, particularly in this population, can significantly affect quality of life, including school performance, speech and language, behavioral challenges, community engagement, and safety. Therefore, ongoing audiologic monitoring and otologic management is highly recommended for this group into adulthood.”
Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley has Audiologists in our Elgin and Villa Park centers who are experts at working with children that may have been considered “difficult to test” by other clinics.
We are able to fit hearing aids and make repairs and earmolds on children and adults through state programs such as Early lntervention, Medicaid, DSCC, ORS, and via private insurance or private pay options with very competitive pricing.
At Easterseals we work with the local educational Audiologists, who serve children with hearing loss that are in school. That work allows for cohesive coordination between school testing and any hearing aid or other specialized services that may be needed at an outside clinic.
We are also proud that we can continue to see the children in our care as they grow up into adulthood via our audiology clinics.
For more information on our hearing services, visit eastersealsdfvr.org/hearing.
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