Signs of Pediatric Hearing Loss

Signs of Pediatric Hearing Loss

Parenting can be a game of knowing when to act upon our instincts and when to quiet our irrational fears. Particularly when children are pre-speech, we do a lot of guesswork in interpreting their signs into actions we must take. After all, they’re so small and entirely dependent upon us! We’d rather overreact consistently instead of failing to act just one time.

When it comes to hearing loss in children, trust your instincts and have your child’s hearing and ear health tested. A hearing test is quick and painless and the implications of poor hearing health can be wide, particularly in early speech development. If treatment is required, either temporarily or permanently, early intervention is always best!

Parents are the first line of defense

Parents are usually aware of changes in hearing ability or potential hearing loss way before their healthcare professional is, which you might chalk up to intuition. This requires parents to wholeheartedly advocate for their children if a health issue is suspected.

And your physician will likely be supportive of your input. The American Academy of Pediatrics simply instructs pediatric care providers that “any child whose parent expresses concern about whether the child hears should be considered for referral for behavioral audiometry without delay.” This directive clearly derives from a history of knowing parents.

Types of Pediatric hearing loss

There are two different types of hearing pediatric hearing loss: Congenital or Acquired.

Congenital hearing loss means that the hearing loss is present at birth. A few factors may cause this, such as a genetic condition or as a result of conditions while the infant is in utero or at the time of birth.

Genetic factors make up more than half of all incidences of congenital hearing loss. Other causes, taking place during pregnancy or birth, might be attributed to conditions of the mother during the gestation period. Prenatal infections, illnesses or toxins consumed by the mother during pregnancy all may increase the risk for congenital hearing loss.

Pediatric hearing loss can also be Acquired. This means that the child’s hearing loss appears after birth. Acquired hearing loss is often the result of a disease, condition or injury. Ear infections, such as otitis media, may lead to hearing loss in extreme cases. Other damaging illness which may cause hearing loss include meningitis, measles, encephalitis, chicken pox, influenza or mumps. Trauma might also result in hearing loss, such as with a head injury or noise exposure.

Look out for: Otitis Media

Otitis Media is a very common condition affecting the hearing health of young children. It is so common that it is the most frequently diagnosed disease in infants and young children, with 75% of children experiencing at least one bout of otitis media by age three.

The condition pertains to an inflammation of the middle ear, which is the area directly behind the eardrum. The inflammation occurs when the eustachian tube, which drains fluid from the middle ear down the back of the throat, is blocked. Blockage of this tube is more common in children because the angle of the tube is more horizontal, angling more dramatically with age and subsequent growth.

Importance of hearing health

If your child complains about pain in their ears, if they are tugging, rubbing or pulling at their ears, or if they appear tired and listless, you may want to speak to your child’s physician about otitis media. It is highly treatable but left undiagnosed can potentially lead to future hearing health problems.

Other hearing conditions may be affecting your child’s hearing. These early stages of life are developmentally dramatic. So much of speech and language growth is due to connections taking place in the first few years. Hearing is how these connections are made and built upon, most often we listen to and then mimic the speech behaviors of our primary caregivers and everyone else around us.

Don’t delay

If you suspect your child is having difficulty hearing, it can only help matters to make your concerns known to your child’s doctor. Early or immediate intervention to hearing loss or even the risk of hearing loss could make a profound impact on their early development.

At Desert Valley Audiology, we provide comprehensive hearing services for the entire family, including children and teens. Contact us today for a consultation.