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Hearing Loss in Children
According to research, 4 out of every 1000 children have hearing issues since their birth. Not being able to detect sound is a major problem among children as it leads to many other essential problems such as speech development.
Hearing loss in children can be of various types such as problems in one ear or both ears, mild or serious issues, and temporary or permanent problems. There are several signs of hearing loss in infants as well as in older children to diagnose the right cause and find the right solution accordingly.
Causes of Hearing Loss in Children
The primary cause of hearing loss in your child may either be due to damage in the ear parts such as the outer ear, middle ear, or inner ear, or dysfunction of the audiometry system or nerves in the body. Other causes include,
– Cole of Flue
– Head injury
– Inheritance
– Infection in ears
– Poor oxygen levels during birth
Certainly, hearing loss in children is evaluated based on two factors. One is the volume of sound and the other is the frequency of the sound being heard by the child.
If your child cannot hear sounds that are below 15dB, then he or she has to undergo a screening for hearing loss. Likewise, the pitch of a sound heard by the child has to be validated to diagnose the frequency of hearing loss if present.
Behavior Difference in Normal Child VS. Child with Hearing Loss
Infants achieve different milestones at different ages, mostly trimesters till the age of 1 to 1.5 years. Of course, there are some cases when toddlers may even take their sweet time to achieve milestones of walking and talking till 2 years. But these behavior difference shows signs of hearing loss in the newborn when compared to a normal infant.
| Normal Child | Children with Hearing Loss |
| A normal child will start achieving milestones at 3 months such as responding to sounds, trying to make sounds, and babbling. | Children with hearing loss cannot detect sound and will not respond to any environmental noises. Such children are also not able to achieve milestones of babbling at the proper time. |
| Normal children will start coordinating their limbs and will learn to balance and start crawling followed by walking. | Not being able to balance is a common problem with hearing loss because the balance system also has its roots inside the ear. |
| By the age of 1 – 1.5 years, most normal children develop speech or at least are capable of speaking out single words such as mama, papa, and others. | Children with hearing loss will have delayed speech. Even when they develop speech, the conversation may get blurred. |
Medical professionals always mention paying attention to the milestones that the child is achieving to check out the signs of deafness in infants and get a solution at the earliest to deal with the issue.
Main Signs of Hearing Loss in Children
Hearing loss in children can be sensed when a child demonstrates some of the following signs of hearing loss
Signs Of Hearing Loss in Infants:
– Poor at combining two or more words
– Doesn’t react or respond to questions
– Less attentive to surrounding sounds or loud noises
– Cannot develop a conversation with parents
– Being louder than usual
– Caretaker complaining about focus, speech, or understanding
– Lethargic about the origin of sounds or music
– Continue to babble the sounds when being an infant
Signs Of Hearing Loss in Children Above 4 Years:
– Stays calm when the TV volume is too high
– Speech is either slow or not clear
– Deviate from what is being commanded
– Frequently asks “What did you say?” or “Huh?”
– Poor at listening or paying attention to people
– Ignore who talks or interacts with them
However, these signs are just the symptoms of hearing loss in a child. To confirm this, proper audiometry screening, lab tests, and diagnosis are required. Call us to book an appointment with our Pediatric hearing experts!
Diagnose Hearing Loss in Infants
All babies should be screened for hearing loss just after birth and before leaving the hospital. If this was not possible, infants should surely go through the initial screening for hearing loss by the age of 1 month.
Some babies may even develop hearing loss later on. If you have noticed signs of deafness, you should immediately contact an audiologist for a detailed checkup. The professional will make use of options such as the ABR test, OAE test, behavioral audiometry evaluation, and other tests to diagnose the actual cause of the deafness.
Treatment Of Hearing Loss in Children
There can be temporary as well as permanent hearing loss in children. Some of the temporary losses can be cured with the help of proper medication or even surgery if you contact a doctor as soon as you notice the first hearing loss sign in the child.
But if the hearing loss cannot be cured, then there are technology-related options such as hearing aids as well as cochlear implants that will help the child in detecting sounds from the environment. Learning sign language is another way that can help children who have delayed speech due to hearing loss.
Hearing Loss Management in Infants
Not every child is lucky enough to get back their hearing after a short surgery or through medication treatment. There are also many children who may have developed permanent hearing loss that may last with them for life. In such a case, managing hearing loss is the ultimate thing.
A hearing aid or a cochlear implant is one of the best options in such a case that helps artificially in detecting sound from the environment and letting the child hear.
If your child is suffering from permanent hearing loss, you can contact the experts at Global Hearing Aid Centre to get help related to hearing loss management in children.
Earlier the Better
Unless a child can hear properly, he or she cannot develop social skills, language, speech, etc. Thus, it is crucial to diagnose hearing loss in pediatrics as early as possible. By doing this, hearing loss treatment can be highly productive and effective. As a result, the child can overcome the hearing loss sooner and live the life they wanted.