Hearing aids for kids could improve speech and language

By Kathryn Doyle NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For young kids who are hard of hearing, the longer they wear a hearing aid, the better their speech and language skills, according to a new study. “Parents get some conflicting information, especially if their kids only have mild hearing loss: should they get hearing aids now or wait until later,” said Mary Pat Moeller, an audiologist. But even kids in the study with only mild hearing loss had significantly improved speaking skills if they wore hearing aids, Moeller told Reuters Health. For the new report, the researchers analyzed data from 180 hard of hearing three- and five-year-olds, almost all of whom had been fitted with hearing aids.