Audiology films

Watch our specially created films to help you and your child learn more about our audiology services.

My visit to children’s audiology

Watch a film to help prepare your child for their hearing assessment and find out about the different types of tests that might be done during their appointment.

Join Noah and his Mum as they visit the Children and Young People’s Audiology Centre at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Patient: Today I am going for my hearing check at St Thomas' Hospital. Follow me!

We walk through the hospital, sometimes it can be a bit busy, but that's okay because I'm with my Mum.

We look for the big letter and get in the lift to go up to the second floor.

We go into the waiting room and tell the lady on reception my name.

Now I get to play with the toys or look at the books while I'm waiting for my turn.

That's me! My Mum has to answer some questions, but I get to play with more toys. It's great!

They look in my ears with a special torch. Sometimes it's a bit tickly!

Next they put a tip in my ear and it draws a picture on the computer.

My ears are very clever. Now it's time for my favourite bit. I get to play some listening games.

I have to listen hard for all of the sounds.

It's good that my baby brother isn't here. He would make lots of noise and it would be hard for me to listen to all of the sounds.

Babies don't know how to play the listening game like me.

When they come for the hearing check, they have to listen for all of the sounds and they turn to see their favourite characters!

Older children do a different type of hearing test.

They have to press a button every time they hear a sound.

I love playing all the games at the hospital!

Your baby’s hearing test

If your baby has been referred for a specialist hearing test at St Thomas’ Hospital, please watch this film to find out more information about what to expect from your appointment. This test is called an ABR (Auditory Brainstem Response).

Specialist: Following the newborn hearing screen, your baby has been referred for a highly specialist hearing test at St Thomas' Hospital.

The hearing test is called an Auditory Brainstem Response or ABR and it is the most effective way to test your baby's hearing.

The appointment is booked for an hour and a half to allow time for your baby to settle as they need to be asleep for the test.

It’s a good idea to bring along anything that may help your baby settle, like additional bottles, a swaddling blanket or a dummy.

You are welcome to bring a family member or friend with you to help, and it's important to arrange childcare for your other children as the testing room needs to be quiet.

I'm going to ask you some questions about your pregnancy and birth history.

Did you have any complications at all when you were pregnant? No.

And during the birth, did he need any special care afterwards? No.

If your baby spent some time in hospital, especially if they were in special care, please bring a copy of their discharge summary.

To get your baby ready for the test I'm going to put this paste on his forehead and behind each of his ears.

Please try and avoid using any oils or cream on your baby on the day of the appointment to make sure the sticky pads make good contact with their skin.

The hearing test works by playing sounds through some little earphones and recording the responses from your baby’s hearing nerves.

The audiologist will be looking at these responses on a computer screen.

Although we may not be able to tell you very much during the test, we will explain the results at the end of the appointment and will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Lots of babies are found to have satisfactory hearing and do not need any more appointments.

Some babies are found to have a temporary hearing loss, often because of congestion (sometimes called glue ear) and may need to be seen again when they are a little older.

However some babies are found to have a permanent hearing loss, either in one or both ears.

In these cases it may take a few ABR appointments to get a complete set of results.

Whatever the outcome of the hearing test, we will make sure that you have all of the information, help and support that you need right from the start.

If you have any other questions about the information in this video please do not hesitate to contact us.

Practising for my hearing test

Play audiometry is a way of testing children’s hearing using listening games. Watch our film with your child to help prepare them for their hearing test.

Quinn (patient): I love playing the listening games at the hospital. My favourite one is the boat game.

When I hear a sound [BEEP], I have to jump the person in the boat.

Specialist: Well done Quinn! Get your next man ready. Let's listen again, listening for a quiet sound.

[BEEP]

Good job! Super listening!

And this time Quinn, we're going to listen for a squeaky sound. Let's get ready to listen.

[BEEP]

Can I get a high five?

And this time Quinn, we're going to listen to some rumbly noises.

[BEEP]

Good job! Well done Quinn! For the next game we're going to wear some headphones.

We're going to listen, we're going to wait,

[BEEP]

You're right! When our noise comes on the stick we go.

Which one is next?

You're having the green one, and I'll have this green one. Ready, so we listen, and we wait...

[BEEP]

Good waiting Quinn, well done! Good job!

[BEEP]

There's your noise. Good job!

Next, we are going to pop on my special listening headband.

When our noise comes we can jump our balls onto the stick.

[BEEP]

Good job!

Which one next?

Okay, get the white ball ready. Listen for another noise.

[BEEP]

All by yourself! Well done! Good job!

All done.

Quinn: Sometimes waiting and listening for the sound is hard.

We can play the 'Ready, Steady, Go!' game anywhere, anytime. [Hold a piece of lego to your ear and then take it down and stack it on the 'Go']

Quinn's Mum: Ready... Steady... Go!

Well done! Shall we do another one?

Ready... Steady... Go! Well done!

Ready... Steady... Go!

Quinn: I like looking in my teddy's ears.

[Text] Practising 'Ready, Steady... Go!' games at home and looking into each others' ears may help your child prepare for their hearing test.

Like in our film, practising ‘Ready, Steady…Go!’ games at home is a great way to teach your child the waiting and listening skills needed for this type of hearing test. Practising looking in each other’s ears and with headphones or earphones can also help.

Examples of other ‘Ready, Steady…Go!’ games you can play at home include:

running or jumping
throwing/rolling a ball
using a stacking toy eg bricks
racing a car across the table/floor
putting a jigsaw piece in a puzzle

Remember, to help your child learn to wait before they can do the action, vary the time before you say …‘Go!’

Making my new earmoulds

Ivy needs new earmoulds for her hearing aids. Watch this film with your child and see how impressions are taken of Ivy’s ears to make her new earmoulds.

Patient: Today, I'm going to have new impressions done for my ear moulds. Let me show you how it's done.

First, they use a special torch to look inside my ears.

Then they put a sponge in my ear.

It's a bit tickly.

Now it's time for the gooey putty.

One scoop pink, one scoop white.

She mixes it all together, and then it's squirted into my ear.

I have to stay nice and still. It feels a bit cold and squishy.

We have to wait until it's gone hard, to make sure it comes out a good shape.

It's time to take it out!

That's better.

Wow, look at the shape of my ear!

Now I get to choose the colour of my new ear mould.

Today I'm going to choose a glittery one.

All finished!

My impression gets sent to the ear mould factory.

When it's made it will come in the post!

When I was a baby and growing really quickly.

I needed impressions every three weeks.

Now I'm older, I only need them every six months.

Specialist: It's really important to have good ear moulds so that the hearing aids don't whistle, and so that children can hear everything around them.

Earwax removal

To help prepare children for their appointment in the ENT department at Evelina London Children's Hospital we have produced a video showing children attending a wax removal appointment.

The video shows the ENT clinical nurse specialist removing wax with a specially designed wax removal scoop and microscope and suction. Advice regarding care of the ears is also given.

Specialist: Everybody has earwax and it is essential to protect the ear canal from infection.

Sometimes people produce too much earwax and in those instances we might have to remove it, as the ears can feel blocked or they feel they're not hearing as good as they normally would hear.

When you have problems with your ears you might be referred to Evelina London Children's Hospital.

When you come for your appointment you can bring all your family with you.

We're very friendly and we will make you feel comfortable and safe.

We have a microscope which we use to examine your ears and that's connected to a TV, so your family can see your ears being examined and wax being removed while they're with you at the appointment.

If we find you have wax in your ears, which is causing a problem, we will remove it.

We might remove this using a microsuction machine, it doesn't hurt and it's just a noisy tickle in the ears.

It'll be noisy, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything, and you can tell me to stop at any time, alright, put your hand up and just tell me to stop, and try not to move.

Alright, you ready? The machine tickles your ear and sucks out the wax, very similar to how a hoover would work. Look at that!

Patient: Feels nice!

Specialist: We might also use a little spoon that was made specially for the ears. Doesn't hurt, just a little tickle in your ear alright. And this just tickles out a little bit of wax or debris that you might have in the ears.

Sometimes the wax is very hard and we will use an olive oil spray to soften it in clinic.

If you find that you do suffer with wax buildup, the most important thing is not to fiddle with your ears, so you must never clean your ears using a cotton bud or stick anything in your ears.

Don't even do that, alright, so no fiddling at all.

The minute you feel itchy, one spray of the olive oil spray once a week in both ears can help reduce the amount of wax you build up and also help to control any itching.

Thank you for coming guys. Wasn't so bad was it?

Patient: No.