Hesperian Health Guides

Tests that can be done at a health center

In this chapter:

A health worker using a machine to test a child's hearing.

A clinic or health center may also be able to test your child's hearing. This kind of testing can be useful if you think your child has difficulty hearing but you cannot tell what kinds of sounds he can hear, if any.

Unfortunately, a clinic that can test hearing may be very far away or be very expensive. But professional testing will be necessary if your child is going to use a hearing aid.

If you have already checked your child's hearing yourself in a familiar place, he may feel less afraid when he is tested by a strange person in a strange place. He may be more cooperative and he may understand more about what he is supposed to do.

Information from the hearing test is used to set a hearing aid to  match the child's hearing. See more information about hearing aids.


What to do with this information

If your child can hear some sounds, you can help her learn to use her hearing better. See the next chapter on developing listening skills. After working on your child's listening skills for about 6 months, check her hearing again to see if you get the same results.