There are a number of different causes of hearing problems in children. Often, the child eventually outgrows the symptoms. For instance, temporary hearing loss can result from blockages in a child’s ear canal caused by such things as excess ear wax, or small objects or parts of toys. Chronic, childhood ear infections can also have an impact on a child’s hearing.
Childhood Hearing Impairment – Educate yourself about a condition that is easily missed
Children experience problems with their hearing for many different reasons. Often, the child eventually outgrows the symptoms. The child’s ear canal might become temporarily blocked by excess ear wax or the child might insert part of a toy or other foreign object into their ears. Childhood ear infections can also cause a loss of hearing.
Acute hearing difficulties are present in approximately one in 1,000 children; by the age of six, an additional one in 1,000 will be diagnosed with some degree of hearing complication. Hearing loss in children can be caused by a number of factors. Some of these include having a family history of hearing problems and being exposed to a serious infection or certain medications before or shortly after birth. Hearing loss can happen for other reasons after the child is born.
Those infants weighing less than three pounds are at an especially high risk. Babies who need the support of a ventilator for longer than ten days are also predisposed to hearing issues. As kids grow, a variety of ailments like mumps and measles, in addition to some toxins and injuries, can bring about loss of hearing.
Frequent, recurrent or persistent middle ear infections or chronic middle ear infections are also a common cause. Profoundly deaf children are unable to hear any sounds at all, including voices. The number of kids who experience hearing issues and have severe hearing loss is less than 6%. The sudden need to speak in a louder voice may be a signal that you child is developing hearing loss.
Or you may notice that your child can’t hear the TV or radio even though the volume is at a normal level, which others in the household can hear without difficulty. Such children often complain that their teachers to not speak loudly enough in the classroom. In infants and very young kids, hearing problems are harder to diagnose. Moms and dads will have to be on the lookout for their infant’s response to noises. A 3-month-old infant, as an example, may blink, cry, or throw their arms around when they hear a loud noise.
A baby who is 4 months old might attempt to locate the source of the sound. An official assessment might be needed if you baby doesn’t display similar reactions. Audiology professionals typically suggest that kids get their hearing checked whenever they see their pediatrician. They should be subjected to a more in-depth check when they are about 3 or 4 years old. This type of testing is most often done with audiometry, an easy test with the child using special earphones to listen to sound tones. When children are old enough to attend school, most often it’s their teachers who first notice when a child isn’t hearing very well.
The coaches of extracurricular sports may also find it unusual that a child cannot hearinstructions, sound signals or calls from game referees. There are things a parent can do that will lesson a child’s chances of developing hearing loss. Immunize your child to prevent the childhood diseases that can cause hearing loss. Ensure that your kid always buckles up in the car, and puts a helmet on his/her head when riding a bike or scooter. This will lessen the likelihood that your child is going to hurt her or his eardrum.
Lastly, make sure that your child never cleans his own ears or inserts anything into the ear canal. Seek medical help if your child exhibits symptoms of an ear infection, earache, fever or hearing loss as well as if you feel she is behind in language development.
At very high risk for hearing problems are premature babies weighing under three pounds. Babies who spend more than 10 days on a respirator after birth are more likely to have hearing loss. In addition, various infections or diseases may also lead to auditory problems, including mumps and measles; various toxins and injuries experienced during a child’s growth can also be a source.
Beware of stubborn, repetitive middle ear infections, as these types of infections very often can result in hearing problems. If a child experiences significant hearing loss, they cannot hear speech or any other noise. This level of hearing loss is reported in less than six percent of all hearing-disabled children. There are signs that your child may be experiencing a hearing loss; you may need to have your child examined if it seems that he or she can only hear you when you’re speaking loudly.
The child may have to turn up the volume on the television or have trouble hearing the radio while other people have no problem. Another common complaint from children is that they can’t hear their teachers speaking. In babies and young children, its more of a challenge to check hearing. Moms and dads will have to be on the lookout for their infant’s response to noises. A 3-month-old infant may react noticeably to a loud noise, by crying, blinking, or waving their arms.
At four months of age, a baby may look to the direction of the noise. A hearing exam may be called for if your child does not react as is typical. Experts in the field recommend a regular hearing screening at each doctor’s visit and a more formal test between 3 and 4 years of age. The examination is a painless series of tones that a child listens to through specially designed earphones. Many children are often first diagnosed with auditory problems by their teachers, if they are old enough to be in school.
A child that is athletically active could be diagnosed by a coach that observes a difficulty in the child following calls, directions, or other signals from sports officials. There are ways that parents can help protect children from developing hearing problems.
