Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide

Division of Surgical Services

Wards

Audiology

The Audiology Unit provides a comprehensive evaluation of hearing. We test babies and toddlers, school age children and teenagers. We work very closely with the Department of ENT Surgery.

We provide an Audiology service for Paediatric Inpatients and for Paediatric Outpatient clinics, as well as for other specialised clinics in the Hospital. We also accept outside referrals.

We specialise in the assessment of children under 5 years of age who have:

a suspected hearing loss

a speech and language delay or disorder

an 'at risk' history for hearing loss

a developmental delay or other disability

behavioural or learning disorder.

Cochlear Implant Program

We provide services to children with severe to profound hearing loss who may be suitable for cochlear implantation. This includes close liaison with the ENT Department, Speech Pathology, Australian Hearing, and Educational Facilities. We provide long term management, programming (MAPping) of the Cochlear Implant, and post-operative evaluation.

We also do some special hearing tests including

otoacoustic emissions
electrophysiological tests of hearing (SSEP)

How to access the service

We prefer a written referral from Medical/Allied Health specialists, posted or faxed to the Department.

Information for families

The early diagnosis of hearing loss is very important. Studies have shown that if a severe hearing loss is diagnosed in the first 6 months of life, the outcome with respect to speech and language development is significantly improved.

Please discuss any concerns about your child's hearing with your GP, Child & Youth Health worker or a medical specialist.

If you have continued concern please contact our unit directly.