Pediatric Amplification in Acadiana
ACI Hearing Center fits FDA-cleared pediatric hearing aids for infants, toddlers, school-age children, and teens. Louisiana Medicaid covers hearing aids for every child under 21 through EPSDT at no cost to the family. We handle the audiology, the fitting, the school coordination, and the paperwork.
A pediatric hearing aid is a hearing aid that carries an FDA clearance for use in children. It has three things a standard adult hearing aid does not have:
Most pediatric hearing aids also carry a loss and damage warranty for the first two to three years, which is a real thing because kids are kids. On top of that, every current pediatric hearing aid pairs with a classroom FM or DM system so the teacher's voice can be streamed directly to the aids.
Pediatric fitting is also different from adult fitting. Small ear canals mean the sound level inside the ear is not the same as the sound level a hearing aid puts out on a test box. That is why the American Academy of Audiology Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pediatric Amplification require real-ear measurement, or REM, for every pediatric fitting. Every ACI pediatric fitting includes REM verification.
Every major hearing aid family has a pediatric-cleared version. We are not tied to one manufacturer and we do not push a house brand. We match the child to the device based on the audiogram, the age, the school setup, and the family budget.
See our full hearing aid brand overview for how adult and pediatric lines compare across manufacturers.
Louisiana requires a newborn hearing screening at every birth. If the screening does not pass, follow-up testing at ACI or an ABR clinic confirms whether the baby has hearing loss and how much. If hearing aids are needed, most infants are fit by 3 to 6 months of age. Infant fittings use very soft pediatric earmolds and rely on family-report data plus objective ABR to set the gain. Earmolds need to be remade every 4 to 8 weeks in the first year as the ear grows.
Toddlers benefit from durable pediatric aids with lock-out features on the volume and battery door. Colored earmolds are usually the norm. This is also when early intervention programs like EarlySteps in Louisiana come into play. We coordinate directly with the EarlySteps team so the child's amplification is set up before speech and language milestones fall behind.
School-age kids need classroom access, not just close-conversation hearing. This is when the FM or DM system enters the picture. ACI writes the audiology report the school needs, coordinates with the teacher of the deaf, and makes sure the pediatric aids pair correctly with the classroom system. We also handle IEP and 504 plan documentation.
Teens want small, cosmetic devices they can stream music from directly. Most current pediatric aids look almost identical to adult aids. Louisiana Medicaid EPSDT still covers hearing aids at no cost up through age 20, so teens who qualify keep the full benefit until their 21st birthday.
Louisiana has three main payment paths for pediatric hearing aids:
Family cost: zero. This is the strongest pediatric benefit in the state. EPSDT is a federal Medicaid rule that requires every state to cover hearing aids for enrolled children at no cost. Coverage includes:
Prior authorization is required and the DME provider handles it. See our full Louisiana Medicaid hearing aid coverage guide for the paperwork and timeline.
Louisiana Revised Statute 22:1038 requires state-regulated insurers, HMOs, and the Office of Group Benefits to cover hearing aids for children under 18. The benefit is limited to $1,400 per hearing aid per ear every 36 months and requires physician clearance and a fitting by a licensed audiologist. If your plan is self-funded through a large employer, Louisiana state law may not apply. Call the number on your card and ask two things: is my plan fully insured or self-funded, and does it cover a pediatric hearing aid benefit?
A complete pediatric fitting including the aids, custom earmolds, real-ear verification, and one year of follow-up runs $4,500 to $7,500 for the pair. We offer CareCredit and PowerPay financing to help families spread the cost. We do not use Cherry.
See our full insurance and payment options page for how all these paths fit together.
Federal IDEA law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) gives every child with hearing loss the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education. In practice, that often means:
ACI Hearing Center writes the audiology report the school district needs, verifies the pediatric hearing aid pairs correctly with the classroom system, and joins IEP meetings when the family asks us to. Lafayette Parish School System, Vermilion Parish, Iberia Parish, and St. Landry Parish all recognize private-audiology reports for IEP eligibility.
Babies can be fit with hearing aids as young as a few weeks old. If a newborn hearing screening in the hospital comes back with a possible hearing loss, follow-up testing is done in the first few weeks of life. Most children who need hearing aids are fit by 3 to 6 months of age. Early fitting matters because the brain builds its speech and language pathways in the first three years.
Yes. Louisiana Medicaid covers hearing aids at no cost to the family for every child under 21 through the EPSDT benefit. This is a federal Medicaid rule that every state must follow. Coverage includes the hearing aids, earmolds, batteries, and repairs. A prior authorization is required and the DME provider handles it. See our full Louisiana Medicaid guide for the details.
This is the number one parent worry and it is a real one. Pediatric hearing aids have several built-in safety features: locking battery doors, tamper-resistant earmolds with pediatric retention, colored options that kids like wearing, and retention clips that attach to clothing. Loss and damage warranties are standard. We show you exactly how each device is designed to stay on and where insurance sits if something happens.
In many classrooms, hearing aids alone are not enough because of distance and background noise. That is where FM and DM systems come in. The teacher wears a small microphone and the signal goes directly to your child's hearing aids. Every major pediatric hearing aid is compatible with a school FM or DM system. ACI works with your child's school and the teacher of the deaf to set this up as part of an IEP or 504 plan.
For Louisiana Medicaid families with a child under 21, the family cost is zero. For families with private insurance, Louisiana state law requires state-regulated plans to cover at least $1,400 per hearing aid per ear every 36 months for children under 18. If your plan is self-funded through an employer, Louisiana state law may not apply and coverage varies. For self-pay, a full pediatric fitting including the aids, earmolds, verification, and follow-up runs $4,500 to $7,500 for the pair. We offer CareCredit and PowerPay financing options.
The main pediatric-cleared families are Oticon Play PX, Phonak Sky Lumity and Sky Marvel, ReSound Up Smart, Widex pediatric line, Signia and Bernafon pediatric models, and Starkey pediatric devices. The best brand depends on your child's hearing loss, age, activity level, and school setup. We fit every major pediatric brand and match the device to the child, not the other way around.
Yes. Under federal IDEA law, children with hearing loss have a right to a Free Appropriate Public Education, which can include FM or DM classroom systems, IEP accommodations, and 504 plans. ACI coordinates directly with your child's school, the teacher of the deaf, and the district audiologist to make sure the classroom setup matches the hearing aid fitting. We write the audiology reports the school needs.
The hearing aids themselves usually last 3 to 5 years. Louisiana Medicaid requires a two-year warranty and expects the aids to last at least three years before replacement. Earmolds are different: young children outgrow earmolds quickly, often every 3 to 6 months in the first years. Medicaid and most insurance plans cover replacement earmolds as part of the pediatric benefit.
Call ACI Hearing Center to schedule a pediatric hearing evaluation. We accept Louisiana Medicaid EPSDT for children under 21, most private insurance plans with pediatric hearing benefits, and self-pay families with CareCredit or PowerPay financing. We are at 103 Saint Thomas Street in Lafayette, a short drive from Broussard, Youngsville, Carencro, Scott, and New Iberia.