Welcome Parents and Caregivers!

Children use their hearing to learn about the world around them and to develop communication skills. The impact of hearing loss on a developing child can be significant, so the sooner issues are detected, and treatment or management is provided, the better the outcomes will be for the child.

Hearing issues can develop at any age, so it's important to screen your child's hearing regularly.

To check your child's hearing please use the Hearing Screening Guide available below to ensure a reliable result.

Hearing Screening Guide Thumbnail
Hearing Screening Guide
View and download

Some things to keep in mind…

Before Testing

  • Test your child when they are well rested. If your child is tired it’s hard for them to concentrate, which can impact their results. We strongly advise against testing children before bedtime.
  • Use good quality adult headphones with an Apple or Android tablet or smartphone to administer the test. Unfortunately, children’s and gaming headphones are not suitable and may impact your test results. Check out our headphones page for more information on choosing the right headphones. For children under 8, using a tablet is best as smartphone screens may be too small for little ones.
  • Be sure to test in a quiet room free from distractions.
  • Let your child know that the sound will get quieter and quieter and sometimes they won’t be able to hear anything, and that this is okay! It’s all part of the game. Ask them to wait, and only tap the screen when they can hear the sound again.
  • During Testing

  • Complete the short adult activity first. If you have an existing hearing issue, have someone with no hearing issues complete the set-up activity.
  • Supervise your child throughout the test, to ensure they are interacting correctly.
  • Sometimes your child may get frustrated when they can’t hear the sounds, reassure them that it’s okay.
  • Only intervene when necessary and keep outside distractions to a minimum.
  • After Testing

  • If your child passes, you don’t need to repeat the test unless you have ongoing concerns. We suggest testing once or twice a year. However, test your child’s hearing any time you have concerns that changes in their behaviour may be linked to a hearing issue. You can also retest following illnesses or head injuries.
  • If your child received a borderline or fail result, wait 24 hours and repeat the test to confirm the result. If a second fail result is received, follow the next steps on the Sound Scouts report.
  • Contact us at contact@soundscouts.com.au should you require further guidance on your child’s results or administering the test.

    Visit our website or blog for more information on hearing loss in children.