As a child grows, the ear grows as well. The behind the ear style of hearing aid is preferred for children because the ear mold can be replaced separately from the rest of the unit. In the ear hearing aids would have to be replaced completely as the child outgrew them. In addition, behind the ear hearing aids are better for children because the ear mold and hearing aid can be more easily cleaned and maintained, the controls are more easily adjusted and monitored by parents. And as any parent knows, because behind the ear hearing aids are larger and less likely to get lost, this will save you considerable expense in replacements.
For most children, the real need for a hearing aid comes at school. Without being able to hear properly, a child will miss instructions from their teacher, leading to frustration and poor performance. For children with hearing problems, many schools now will provide assistive learning systems. In these systems, the teacher is typically given a microphone, and the signal is sent directly to the hearing impaired student via either a telecoil or direct audio input. This type of set-up tends to be more effective for the child as it eliminates the amplification of background noise. .
In the ear hearing aids are not suitable for young children because the aid must then be replaced frequently as the child grows. Once the child is in their teens, however, their ears will have reached their adult size, and they would be able to wear an in the ear hearing aid if so desired.