**The Audiology Place**
The Audiology Place is an independent, family-focused hearing clinic providing expert, practical support for children and families. We see children from around **6 months of age**, helping parents understand whether hearing may be affecting their child’s speech, learning, behaviour or confidence.
Hearing problems in children are not always obvious. A child might seem to hear normally at home but struggle in a noisy classroom, frequently ask for things to be repeated, turn the volume up, appear distracted, misunderstand instructions or have difficulty keeping up with conversations. Sometimes recurrent ear infections or glue ear can also cause fluctuating hearing that is easy to miss.
If you're concerned about your child's speech or language development, a hearing assessment can also be an important first step **before or alongside seeing a speech pathologist**, helping to rule out hearing difficulties that may be contributing.
The Audiology Place also has particular expertise in **Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)** and listening difficulties. Some children have normal hearing on a standard hearing test but still find it difficult to make sense of what they hear, particularly with background noise, multiple speakers or complex verbal instructions. We can investigate what may be happening and provide clear recommendations for home, school and other health professionals.
We can help with:
* Hearing assessments for babies and children from 6 months+
* Concerns about speech and language development
* Children struggling to hear or concentrate in the classroom
* Recurrent ear infections, glue ear or suspected hearing loss
* Auditory Processing Disorder and listening difficulties
* School-age hearing assessments
* Advice for parents, teachers and speech pathologists
* Hearing care for parents, grandparents and the whole family
Most importantly, we take the time to explain everything in plain English. Parents leave understanding what the results mean, whether there is actually a problem, and what, if anything, should happen next.
The Audiology Place is based in Epping on Sydney's Northern Beaches and is led by experienced audiologist Dr Signe Steers, who has more than 20 years' experience and a particular interest in children's hearing and auditory processing.
If something about your child's hearing, listening, speech or classroom experience doesn't feel quite right, it is worth checking.