14/10/2025
The B4 school check that all 4-year-olds in NZ have is performed by a Vision Hearing Technician (VHT). These VHT's are employed by the District Health Boards. This check may detect a child who has hearing difficulties but if your child is struggling to talk clearly and hear well make sure you get them checked by an audiologist.
Even if a child can "hear" sound normally they may have an Auditory Processing Disorder. An Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) affects how the brain processes speech, which can make it difficult to learn to read. While the ear may "hear" sound normally, people with the disorder have trouble processing sounds and understanding what they have heard. APD affects an estimated 5 - 15 % of children. A brain-processing disorder is a hard concept to grasp. The problem can be easily missed, and testing is complex. Many children with this problem are undiagnosed and can be mislabelled disruptive or slow at school.
Do you find yourself asking your child, "Are you listening to me?" If so, maybe they can't hear you properly, or they don't understand what they are hearing. If you are concerned about your child's speech development or they are having problems at school, it may be wise to take them to your local GP or audiologist and arrange to have a thorough hearing check.
"Parents! Are you listening?"
