Fast-growing babies seem to bust out of their clothes at head-spinning speed. Almost as soon as Mom or Dad slips on that cute little outfit and posts a picture on social media, they need another size up. The same is true with babies who use hearing aids. Their little ears grow fast. Especially in the beginning, modifications to essential customized components of their devices called earmolds can be needed as often as twice a month.
In September 2024, CID – Central Institute for the Deaf launched a new 3D-print earmold lab, an innovation that’s fast becoming a huge advantage for its families and students. Now CID audiologists make precision, custom-fit earmolds in a fraction of the time it took to send a child’s ear impressions to a manufacturer. Only a few programs for children who are deaf and hard of hearing in the United States have begun to implement this service. To our knowledge, CID is the first in Missouri to 3D-print earmolds.
“On-site 3D earmold printing is revolutionary for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, particularly in early intervention,” Martha E. Jones Pediatric Audiology Center director Brittany Wuebbles, AuD said. “Now we can custom fit hearing aids in days instead of weeks. This means improved device fitting, earlier access to sound and longer exposure to language during the critical developmental window. Sending impressions away used to eat up weeks of crucial language learning time as parents waited for babies to hear their first words and start their listening journeys.”
CID’s doctoral level pediatric audiologists serve children from birth to age 18. “Our new capability will benefit children of all ages, but the earlier and more consistently we give a baby quality access to sound, the sooner listening and spoken language skills can begin to develop,” Dr. Wuebbles said. Early access to sound is key to helping a child who is deaf or hard of hearing learn to listen and talk.
After 110 years as a leader in deaf education, St. Louis organization keeps innovating. The ability to print earmolds on-site is just another example in Central Institute for the Deaf’s history of innovation for children who are deaf and hard of hearing. St. Louis otologist Max Goldstein, MD, founded CID on September 23, 1914, with the goal of bringing parents, doctors and educators together to teach deaf children to listen and talk. Over the past 110 years, work at CID has raised standards and improved both education and hearing technology for children. Landmark CID research has informed parents about the possibilities and opportunities afforded by early diagnosis and intervention, powerful digital hearing aids and cochlear implants and listening and spoken language education. CID-developed resources and auditory training curricula are used by early intervention providers, teachers and clinicians around the world.
CID’s mission is to teach children who are deaf and hard of hearing to listen, talk, read and succeed. We empower families and professionals in St. Louis and worldwide to help children reach their fullest potential. In FY 2022–2023, CID served 229 children and 275 caregivers in 15 Illinois counties and 18 Missouri counties, as well as 3,422 deaf education professionals in 54 countries.
PRESS: Please contact Kim Readmond if you’d like to tour the new earmold lab and/or attend our 110th birthday party on Monday, September 23.