Otoscopy

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We begin by looking in your child’s ears using a special light to check for earwax, signs of infection, as well as the general physical health of the ear canals and eardrums.

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Video Otoscopy

We can use another light and camera connected to a screen to look into the ear canal and take pictures and videos inside and show you what things look like. You see what we see!

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Tympanometry

We use another machine to measure how well your child’s eardrums move. A small tip is placed in the ear, which makes a humming sound and creates air pressure changes. This is a similar sensation to when you drive over a hill and your ears can change pressure. 

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Otoacoustic Emissions

When our ears hear a sound, they can make a tiny echo. We place a tip in your child’s ears to play sounds to measure the echo response. This measurement works best when the child is still and quiet.

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Hearing Test

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Your child will be in a sound booth with windows. There will be soft tips put in their ears to hear the sounds. When they hear a very quiet sound, they respond by pressing a button, playing a game with a helper, or raising their hand. We then test how well they understand words and get them to repeat back the words that they think they hear.

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The last part of the hearing test is used with a headband. Sounds are played through this, and your child will respond again by pressing the button, playing a game, or raising their hand. The headband can feel tight, but it does not hurt.

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Results & Next Steps

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At the end of the appointment, your audiologist will go over the test results with you and your child and what it means. Depending on results, other visits to our clinic or another health care provider may be recommended (such as a family doctor, pharmacy, outpatients, an Ear Nose and Throat [ENT] doctor, and/or Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia).

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Please note that some parts of a hearing test may not be appropriate or possible to complete. This may depend on your audiologist’s professional judgment, how your child is feeling that day, or your child’s ability and willingness to participate. In some cases, more than one appointment may be needed to obtain a complete picture of your child’s hearing.