Hearing Topics
HEARING LOSS in BABIES & CHILDREN :: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is hearing loss? Hearing loss is when your child has a reduced ability to detect sound. There are many different types and degrees of hearing loss ranging from mild to profound. It may occur in one ear or in both ears and may be present at birth or develop later.
CAUSES of CHILDREN'S HEARING LOSS
Your child’s hearing loss may be caused by:
- Drug or alcohol use during pregnancy
- Illnesses the mother had during pregnancy or difficulties during birth, i.e. German measles or viral infection
- Hereditary factors either from one or both parents (hereditary hearing loss can also occur when there is no known family history)
- Foreign objects such as a bead or food can block sound or rupture an eardrum
- Childhood illnesses such as Rubella, mumps, bacterial meningitis or viral infections
- Swimmer's ear, a painful bacterial infection that causes the ear canal to swell shut.
- Exposure to certain drugs or medications (during extended stays in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
- Colds and ear infections can also cause temporary hearing loss.
Symptoms of hearing loss in children
Newborn (Birth to 6 months)
- Does not startle, move, cry nor react in any way to unexpected loud noises
- Does not awaken to loud noises
- Does not freely imitate sound
- Cannot be soothed by voice alone
- Does not turn his/her head in the direction of your voice
Young Infant (6 through 12 months)
- Does not point to familiar persons or objects when asked
- Does not babble or babbling has stopped
- By 12 months does not understand simple phrases such as "wave bye-bye" or "clap hands" by listening
Infant (13 months through 2 years of age)
- Does not accurately turn in the direction of a soft voice on the first call
- Is not alert to environmental sounds
- Does not respond to sound or does not locate from where sound is coming
- Does not begin to imitate and use simple words for familiar people and things around the home
- Does not sound like or use speech like other children of similar age
- Does not listen to TV at a normal volume
- Does not show consistent growth in the understanding and the use of words to communicate
Child (over 2 years)
- Constantly tired
- Watches faces for clues
- Easily distracted
- Short attention span
- Talks loudly
- Often says, "Pardon?,""Huh?" or "What?"
- Doesn't respond when back is turned
- Chronic cold/running nose
- Quiet, not involved
- Speech delay — articulation errors
- Disruptive in class
- Needs instructions repeated
- Poor comprehension
- Poor classroom behavior
- Copies others school work
- Problems with reading, spelling and math
What should I do if I suspect my child has hearing problems?
First, try not to worry. There have been tremendous strides in technological and medical solutions for children with hearing loss.
Second make an appointment with our Audiologist to evaluate your son’s or daughter’s hearing. No child is ever too young to test. With our computerized diagnostic equipment, we can even test the hearing of a newborn baby.
If the diagnostic tests indicate a hearing loss, our Audiologist will refer your child to Dr Damask, an otolaryngologist (a physician who specializes in ear diseases), for medical evaluation. She will then work with you to establish a treatment plan for your child.
How will you treat my child’s hearing loss?
If your child’s hearing loss is caused by a cold or ear infection, it will often clear up on its own. If it does not, it is usually easily treated with medication or in some cases, inserting pressure equalization tubes to help drain fluid from the middle ear into the ear canal. Other times hearing loss can be corrected by removing earwax buildup.
Some children, however, are born with physical deformities to the outer or middle ear that cause conducive hearing loss. Surgery can sometimes correct it. Hearing aids are also a solution.
Other children have sensorineural hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear. This cannot be cured with surgery, however, hearing aids and therapy can help your child hear and learn to talk.
Do hearing aids help?
One thing that surprises many parents is that hearing aids do not help immediately. Your child will need to learn how to use hearing aids and how to listen to sound and speech. This learning is what normal hearing children go through before they learn to talk or to understand their parents. It takes time.
Dr. Damask and her Audiologist will help you choose the best hearing aids for your child. We work with a number of manufacturers to ensure you get the hearing instrument of your choice. In some profound cases, it may be more effective for an otologist to surgically implant a hearing aid into your child’s cochlea.
We usually recommend that your child wear two hearing aids. We see better with two eyes and hear best with two ears. Once our Audiologist fits your child with hearing aids, she will help both of you learn how to use them. What will be your family’s most important job? Talk, talk, talk and then talk some more to your son or daughter. It is the best way for your child to learn how to use his or her hearing.