When we think of individuals losing their hearing we almost always think of older people.
Of grandma or grandpa saying something funny in place of what was actually said.
Hearing loss is very serious and not limited to the old.
Hearing loss in children is very common and more parents need to know the signs and their options for dealing with it.
Not all hearing loss in children is congenital contrary to popular belief.
There are many children who acquire hearing loss over time.
Sometimes in the form of a mild impairment and sometimes in the form of profound loss.
Sometimes when hearing loss isn't congenital its harder for us to tell.
We are trained to look for the signs and often would misinterpret what signs we are given.
They might be chalked up to ADHD or the terrible twos.
Some of the signs that one should look for are 1.
 Inattentiveness.
Many children suffer from this.
How would one know if it were due to hearing loss or a child's lack of interest in something? 2.
The TV or computer or radio needs to be turned up louder than before.
Though many children enjoy things louder, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
3.
Not understanding directions.
This may be a sign that your child cannot properly hear what is being said to him, not that he has a lack of willingness to cooperate.
4.
Listlessness 5.
Unexplained anger and irritability.
There lack of understanding could lead to this.
6.
Pulling or scratching at the ears 7.
Speech delays 8.
Frequent ear infections 9.
Diagnosis with a learning disability So many of these symptoms seem ambiguous and common to all children's behavior.
What else can a parent do to help? One thing that has recently been debunked is the myth that children cannot have a hearing test until the age of 5.
Now with new technology children can have their hearing accurately tested within hours of being born.
Some states even require it! You do not need to wait for your child to enter the school system or have their yearly physical to have their hearing tested.
With both mild impairment and profound loss in children, it is best that it is caught as early as possible.
This way hearing solutions can be put into place as soon as possible.
If gone untreated it could severely interrupt a child's development.
One would have trouble socially, developing speech, learning in school, etc.
Your child might only be hearing a small percentage of everything said to him and you might not know.
The impacts of the hearing loss on the children don't have to be huge if treated appropriately to begin with.
One way aside from speech therapy, etc would also be hearing aids and other such devices.
There are many hearing aids made today that are cosmetically attractive and would not cause your child to be outcaste in any way.
They are small and most people never even see them.
Because technology has improved so much over time, the transition from being a non-hearing aid wearer to wearing one is not nearly as jarring as it was a decade ago or even five years ago.
Of grandma or grandpa saying something funny in place of what was actually said.
Hearing loss is very serious and not limited to the old.
Hearing loss in children is very common and more parents need to know the signs and their options for dealing with it.
Not all hearing loss in children is congenital contrary to popular belief.
There are many children who acquire hearing loss over time.
Sometimes in the form of a mild impairment and sometimes in the form of profound loss.
Sometimes when hearing loss isn't congenital its harder for us to tell.
We are trained to look for the signs and often would misinterpret what signs we are given.
They might be chalked up to ADHD or the terrible twos.
Some of the signs that one should look for are 1.
 Inattentiveness.
Many children suffer from this.
How would one know if it were due to hearing loss or a child's lack of interest in something? 2.
The TV or computer or radio needs to be turned up louder than before.
Though many children enjoy things louder, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
3.
Not understanding directions.
This may be a sign that your child cannot properly hear what is being said to him, not that he has a lack of willingness to cooperate.
4.
Listlessness 5.
Unexplained anger and irritability.
There lack of understanding could lead to this.
6.
Pulling or scratching at the ears 7.
Speech delays 8.
Frequent ear infections 9.
Diagnosis with a learning disability So many of these symptoms seem ambiguous and common to all children's behavior.
What else can a parent do to help? One thing that has recently been debunked is the myth that children cannot have a hearing test until the age of 5.
Now with new technology children can have their hearing accurately tested within hours of being born.
Some states even require it! You do not need to wait for your child to enter the school system or have their yearly physical to have their hearing tested.
With both mild impairment and profound loss in children, it is best that it is caught as early as possible.
This way hearing solutions can be put into place as soon as possible.
If gone untreated it could severely interrupt a child's development.
One would have trouble socially, developing speech, learning in school, etc.
Your child might only be hearing a small percentage of everything said to him and you might not know.
The impacts of the hearing loss on the children don't have to be huge if treated appropriately to begin with.
One way aside from speech therapy, etc would also be hearing aids and other such devices.
There are many hearing aids made today that are cosmetically attractive and would not cause your child to be outcaste in any way.
They are small and most people never even see them.
Because technology has improved so much over time, the transition from being a non-hearing aid wearer to wearing one is not nearly as jarring as it was a decade ago or even five years ago.
SHARE
