Melissa Handsworth
Highly Specialist Paediatric Audiologist
About Me
Melissa is a Clinical Scientist in Audiology, registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). After earning her BSc in Physiology in 2017 from The University of Liverpool, she began her clinical training in Audiology at Manchester Royal Infirmary Hospital. She was awarded a distinction in Neurosensory Sciences (Audiology) MSc in 2020 from The University of Manchester. Since then, she has worked in paediatric audiology in Manchester, specialising in hearing assessments for children. She has extensive experience in evaluating children of all ages, including those with additional learning needs and social communication difficulties. Melissa recognises the importance of treating every child as an individual and customising the appointment to their unique needs. Her aim is to make appointments stress free, interactive and fun, suited to the child’s developmental stage. She believes that knowledge is empowering, and it is vital that parents understand that their child’s hearing test results and exactly how this relates to their overall development. We can then work together to create a personalised management plan for the child, to ensure that any hearing difficulties will not stop the child from reaching their full potential.
Appointment Schedules:
| Day | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 10:00am - 6:30pm | Appointment |
| Tue | 10:00am - 6:30am | Appointment |
| Wed | 10:00am - 6:30am | Appointment |
| Thu | 10:00am - 6:30am | Appointment |
| Fri | 10:00am - 6:30am | Appointment |
| Sat | 10:00am - 4:00pm | Appointment |
Signs your child may be having hearing difficulties
• Inattention or poor concentration.
• Asking you to repeat yourself or not following instructions.
• Talking loudly and watching television at a loud volume.
• Speech delay/difficulty or mispronunciation of words.
• Struggling with reading, spelling and phonics.
• A change in their academic performance.
• Difficulty determining where sounds are coming from.
If your little one is experiencing speech and languagedelays, or if their speech is unclear, it may be due to not hearing speech clearly. Permanent hearing loss andtemporary hearing loss due to middle ear congestion (commonly known as glue ear), can significantly affectyour child’s speech, educational progress and social development. It is crucial to assess this in a developmentally appropriate manner, ensuring that theresults are thoroughly explained at the time of the appointment. Following diagnosis, we collaborate withspecialist speech and language therapists and ear,nose, and throat (ENT) professionals to provide optimal management for your child. Our goal is to ensure that hearing difficulties do not impede your child’s development. The flexibility of this clinic means your child does not have to miss school and you do not need to take time off work.