Hearing in our little ones is so important. They use this skill to develop speech and listening skills to help them play, learn, and even be alerted from danger. Hearing loss can be due to many things such as untreated ear infections, other infections such as meningitis, mumps, measles or whooping cough. Perforation of the eardrum, excessive noise, such as fireworks or loud music can also lead to hearing loss and even diseases, such as otosclerosis or Ménière’s disease, or serious injury to the head. So how would you know if your child is beginning to lose his or her hearing?
1. One sign of hearing loss is when your child seems to hear you fine some of the time, and other times doesn’t seem to hear you at all.
2. When you’re watching TV with your child and they seem to want the TV volume louder than what is comfortable for the rest of the family. This could mean their hearing is starting to go.
3. When your child seems to ask you to repeat what you just said more than a couple of times or doesn’t respond when you address them. Most parents will think they are typical kids that are tuning out their parents, as this might be somewhat of an epidemic in the world today. Nonetheless, it may also be due to loss of hearing.
4. If you notice your child turning their head to listen with one ear, this could be a sign. Your child might even notice he or she can hear better with one ear over another and tell you so.
5. Your child’s failing grades in school and the teacher may even say that your child doesn’t respond in class. This may be due to hearing loss.
6. If it seems your child struggles to pay attention, don’t be too quick to call it ADD.
7. If you begin to notice your child has been talking louder than normal, they may have hearing loss.
8. If you see that your child looks at you more intently, like they are concentrating on your face more than on what you’re saying, they may not be able to hear you clearly and is relying on facial cues.
These are some of the common signs to look for if you are concerned that your child is losing their hearing. If your child is failing in school, or it seems that their speech development is far behind others their age, start by having their hearing tested. All babies when they’re born will have a hearing test conducted. A lot of the time at birth their hearing is fine. However hearing can be lost, as stated earlier in this blog, to many different situations. So don’t be quick to rule out the possibility of hearing loss.
Hearing loss happens more often than parents think. If you worried about your child’s hearing, ENT Specialists can accommodate patients of all ages. We will help you evaluate your child’s hearing and help find a solution. ENT Specialists hope to make parents aware of the many signs of hearing loss in their children, and to help those parents concerned for their child’s well-being. Contact us to learn more about our hearing testing and hearing aids to assist in hearing loss.
