When you consider your child’s overall health performance, you should also think about their ability to hear and respond to it. It is a part of their health development and it’s not something that you should take lightly. Evaluating the results of the hearing test of your child will enable timely intervention and support.
While the test is important, the real challenge comes when you take your child to the clinic for the first time. It could be a daunting experience for both you and your kid. To make the first-time test a happy experience for your child, you have to ensure to prepare them for the appointment. Here’s how you can do it:
You First Have to Understand the Test
Instead of bringing your child to the doctor without any understanding of the process, you should try to understand the process first. The tests for hearing are to evaluate the condition of your child to check the response for different pitches and volumes. Understand the process and if you are unclear about any details, you should consult the child’s paediatrician or audiologist for clarification. If you are informed completely, then you can project confidence to your kid.
Talk to Your Child Properly
After understanding the test, ensure to inform your child about the test completely. Choose a simple, age-appropriate way to make your kid understand. Make the process fun and game-like by showing and mimicking the actions of a doctor. Make sure to stress that it’s important to go to the doctor so that the kids can listen to whatever they want. Kids will listen to you if you make the listening process interesting.
Role-play If Possible
If your kid is not the listening type, then you can role-play the entire process. As children are often more comfortable with new experiences, you can make them enjoyable and interactive. Pretend that you are a doctor performing the test and do the actions just like they do in the clinic. Use devices like headphones, and hearing aids and ask your child to clap when they hear an imaginary sound. It’s not only a teaching method but is also like bonding gaming session with your kid.
Make Sure to Choose the Right Time
Choose a proper time to go to the doctor – when the kid is active, healthy and interactive. Make sure that your kid is also well-fed and well-rested. It tends to create a good mood in your kids and enables them to participate more during the test. Ensure that the kid is not hungry, tired or overwhelmed to make the process stress-free.
Bring Your Kid’s Favourite Toys
Whenever your kid goes to a new place, it gets overwhelming or uncomfortable for your child. So, make sure to bring a few comfort items like a toy, blanket, book or games so that your child feels secure in a new environment. Bringing these items creates a distraction whenever your child becomes anxious.
Be Positive and Don’t Show Tension
Children mimic your emotions most of the time. If you want your child to be calm, you first have to be relaxed and positive. It will create comfort in your child and ensure that they also carry the same mindset. If you want, you can avoid words like ‘test’ or ‘doctor’ so that they don’t feel intimidated. Instead of that, you can paint the whole experience as a fun adventure that’s about to happen.
Prepare to Answer Their Questions
Your kid may have questions about the test. Be prepared to answer all of them with reassuring words. For instance, if they ask – ‘will it hurt?’, you can say – ‘No, it won’t, it’s just about hearing some sounds and playing a game’.
When you project confidence in your voice and answers, your kid will be reassured and most likely to participate better during the test. As this test helps you to understand any issues that your child has, you have to make the kid happy and ready before the test. Know these signs you need a hearing test so that you can prepare yourself accordingly.
Give a Treat Afterwards
After going through the test process, whether your child actively participated or not, make sure to give them a treat. It will help their mind to become calm and relaxed. Even if your child didn’t participate well, you can at least help them to prepare for the next time and end the process with a treat. It can be their favourite food, a toy or anything they like.
Final Thoughts
After reading the entire blog, you may begin to understand how it’s important for your child to be prepared so that they can enjoy the experience. Sit with them and explain patiently, especially if your kid has fear about going to the doctor. you can also involve your partner or their siblings to make them more confident. They will need whatever support you can give to them, so be confident and trust that your child can go through with the process.
