Hearing loss affects people of every age. In fact, for every thousand babies born, 2 to 3 will be deaf or have some form of hearing impairment according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). During childhood, hearing loss may occur from injury, illness, exposure to very loud noises, or physical abnormalities in the structure of the ear. Early hearing screenings are important to detect hearing loss, because the sooner it is found, the greater the child’s chances to develop their full potential.
Luckily, the most common signs of hearing loss in children are well documented for parents and caregivers to look for. When your child is still a baby, such signs include a failure to be startled by loud noises, a failure to turn the head to face you when you call his or her name, being able to hear some sounds and not others, and not turning toward the source of a sound after the age of 6 months.
Signs of otitis media include rubbing or pulling at their ears, having fevers or earaches, becoming inattentive or listless, failing to understand instructions, and asking for the TV to be turned up louder. Other warning signs are if your child uses the words “huh?” or “what?” many times a day, has difficulty locating the source of sounds, or watches people’s faces carefully as they are speaking. Hearing loss is a serious concern. Even mild hearing loss can lead to delays in language and speech development and manifest in poor school performance.
These problems are why many states have programs that guarantee early hearing testing in children. The tests are painless, and can be performed even on babies. There is no such thing as “too soon” when it comes to testing your children’s hearing. The sooner any conditions are found, the sooner they can be treated. We would be happy to arrange for a hearing screening for your child or children, and if any hearing problems are found, we have the expertise and resources to help solve them.
