Part of the children and young people's audiology service, we offer specialist individualised hearing assessments to children with social communication disorders, including autistic spectrum disorder and other complex needs.
The Hummingbird Clinic is the only service of its kind in London and was made possible by a £200,000 grant from Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity.
What we do
Our innovative hearing service includes:
- a child-friendly waiting room and specialised children's audiological booth
- modified hearing assessments which may include the use of familiar music or other sounds and familiar visual rewards
- the use of iPads/tablets for our hearing assessments
- speech testing, such as Ling Sounds, McCormick toy test and the Manchester Picture Test
We ask parents/carers and teachers to complete questionnaires before the appointment to make sure we can design the appointment to suit the needs of your child.
We use other visual support materials, such as Now and Next cards and a visual timetable to increase understanding and decrease anxiety. These materials allow your child to understand what will be happening to them at their clinic visit.
How do I prepare for my appointment?
Hospital visits can be difficult for some children so please watch our film about visiting children’s audiology with your child to help prepare them for their appointment.
We'll also provide you with a story booklet 'Having your hearing checked'. This booklet explains what will happen on the day of your visit to the clinic using a clear written explanations and symbols to support the story.
We recommend that you read the story booklet with your child every day for a least a week leading up to the day of your appointment.
More information
More information about appointments at our children and young people's audiology service is on the audiology patients page.