April 6, 2010
Childhood Hearing Impairment - Educate yourself about a condition that is easily missed
A variety of issues can result in loss of hearing in a child. Sometimes the problem is only temporary. Occasionally the ear canal might become blocked by excessive wax buildup, or it could even be a small foreign object such as a pea or part off of a toy. Additionally, ear infections can influence the hearing of a child.
Ways To Recognize Hearing Loss In Children
There are a number of different causes of hearing problems in children. In some cases, the difficulty is just temporary. There are instances where the child may have a blockage in an ear canal. An excess of wax, a small object like a pea or a piece of a toy might be blocking the ear canal. Chronic, childhood ear infections can also have an impact on a child’s hearing.
About one in 1,000 babies is born with a serious hearing problem, and another one in 1,000 children develops a difficulty before he or she reaches the age of 6. Certain risk factors increase a child’s chance for experiencing hearing loss. Some of these risks include hearing problems that are part of their family history, exposure to some type of serious infection, or medications taken by the mother before or soon after giving birth. Hearing deficiencies may also be caused by other factors after birth.
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. 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. Those with profound hearing loss are unable to hear speech or any other noises. Profound hearing loss occurs in less than 6 percent of childhood hearing loss. You might begin to think your child is experiencing hearing loss if you have to speak louder all of a sudden.
If other members of your family have no trouble hearing the television or radio but your child seems to have difficulty there might be some hearing loss. 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. Be mindful of your child’s reaction to sudden noises. If there is a loud noise, a three month old baby might cry, blink or throw her hands out to the sides.
A baby who is 4 months old might attempt to locate the source of the sound. It may be worth checking further if your child isn’t reacting to sounds as you would expect him to. Medical experts advise a routine hearing test at each doctor’s visit and a more involved test later on at around 4 years old. The examination is a painless series of tones that a child listens to through specially designed earphones. In school aged children, teachers are often the first ones to notice that a child is not hearing well.
If kids are in sports, their coaches might be the ones who recognize hearing problems when the kids don’t respond to plays or the referees. There are ways that parents can help protect children from developing hearing problems. To prevent harmful infections, have your child immunized. 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 reduce your child’s risk for injuring his or her eardrum.
In addition, you should not allow your kid to insert anything, even a Q-tip into his/her ears. And don’t forget that ear infection symptoms, including fever and discharge, as well as linguistic delays, pain, or loss or impairment of hearing should warrant an immediate consultation with your physician.
Babies who weigh less than three pounds are especially at risk. Babies who require over 10 days on a ventilator are also more likely to experience difficulties. 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.
Frequent, recurrent or persistent middle ear infections or chronic middle ear infections are also a common cause. A child who has a profound hearing loss is unable to hear people speaking or any of the other sounds we take for granted every day. Less than six percent of children with hearing impairments have what can be considered complete or profound hearing loss. A sign that your kid might have a hearing problem is if you have to shout to be heard.
If your child complains about having trouble hearing the radio or TV when other family members find the volume to be just right, consider having their hearing checked. Another frequent problem is not being able to hear a teacher during lessons. In babies and young children, its more of a challenge to check hearing. Parents need to watch for a baby’s reaction to sounds. For example, 3-month-old infants may blink, cry or throw out their arms when hearing a loud sound.
Babies who are four months or older generally turn to try and find the source of the sound. You might want to check your child’s hearing if it doesn’t do these things. Hearing experts believe that children should have their hearing screened each time they visit the doctor, and be given a thorough exam between the ages of three and four. The testing is usually performed by the use of special earphones that a child uses to hear various tones– also known as audiometry. 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.
Your child’s hearing loss may be discovered during after school or sports programs if the coach notices that the child is not hearing instructions. There are things a parent can do that will lesson a child’s chances of developing hearing loss.
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