What is hearing loss in children?
Hearing loss can vary greatly among children and can
be caused by many things. In the United States, 1 to
3 children per 1,000 are born with hearing loss each
year. Most children also experience mild, temporary
hearing loss when fluid gets in the middle ear from
allergies or colds. Sometimes as a result of an ear
infection, fluid stays in the middle ears, which can
sometimes cause hearing loss and delays in your
child’s speech. Some children have permanent hearing
loss. This can be from mild (they don’t hear as well
as you do) to complete (where they can’t hear
anything at all).
What are some of the signs of
hearing loss?
The signs and symptoms of hearing loss are different for
different children. If you see any of these signs, call your
child's doctor or nurse:
- does not turn to the source of a sound by 3 to 4 months of age
- pays attention to vibrating noises or noises that can be felt, rather than heard
- does not say single words, such as "dada" or "mama" by 1 year of age
- turns head when he or she sees you but not if you only call out his or her name: this usually is mistaken for not paying attention or just ignoring, but could be the result of a partial hearing loss
- hears some sounds but not others
What causes hearing loss? Can it be prevented?
Hearing loss can happen any time during life –
from before birth to adulthood. Babies who are born
early, who have low birth weight, or who are exposed
to
infections in the womb might have hearing loss, but
this can happen to full-term, normal weight babies
as well. Genetic factors are the cause of hearing
loss in about 50% of babies – some of these babies
might have family members who are deaf. Illnesses,
injuries, certain medicines, and loud noise levels
can cause children and adults to lose hearing.
Some causes of hearing loss can be prevented. For
example, vaccines can prevent certain infections,
such as measles or meningitis (an infection of the
fluid around the brain and spinal cord), which can
cause hearing loss. Another cause that can be
prevented is a kind of brain damage called
kernicterus, which is caused by bad jaundice. This
can be prevented by using special lights
(phototherapy) or other therapies to treat babies
with jaundice before they go home from the hospital.
What can I do if I think my child might
have hearing loss? If you or your doctor think your child might
have hearing loss, ask that a hearing test be given as soon
as possible. To have your child's exact levels of hearing
measured, see an audiologist or an ear, nose, and throat
doctor (ENT, otolaryngologist). If your child is under age 2
or does not cooperate for the hearing exam, a test (called
brain-stem evoked-response audiometry) could be given.
This test allows the doctor to check your child's hearing
without having to rely on your child's cooperation. Your child
will not be hurt; most babies even sleep through the test.
Hearing loss can affect a child's ability to develop speech,
language, and social skills. The earlier a child who is deaf
or has a hearing loss starts getting services, the more likely
the child's speech, language, and social skills will reach
their full potential. Services can be received through your
local early intervention agency or public school. To find
out who to speak to in your area, contact the National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities by
logging on to
http://www.nichcy.org/ or calling
1-800-695-0285. In addition, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has links to information for
families (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd).
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