When we think of people who lose their hearing, we almost always think of older people. Grandmother or grandfather who say something funny instead of what was said. Hearing loss is very serious and is not limited to the elderly. Hearing loss in children is very common and more and more parents need to know the signs and their options to deal with them. Contrary to popular belief, not every hearing loss is innate in children. Many children develop hearing loss over time. Sometimes as a slight impairment and sometimes as a severe loss.
Sometimes when the hearing loss is not congenital it is more difficult for us to say. We are trained to look for signs and will often misinterpret the signs given to us. They could be ascribed to terrible ADHD or both. Some of the characters to look for are
- Inattention. Many children suffer from it. How do you know if this is due to hearing loss or a child’s lack of interest in something?
- The TV, computer or radio should be louder than before. Although many children value things more, this could be a sign of hearing loss.
- Don’t understand the instructions. This may be a sign that your child cannot hear what is being said properly and is not ready to work together.
- Apathy
- Inexplicable anger and irritability. A lack of understanding could lead to this.
- Pull or scratch your ears
- Speech delays
- Frequent ear infections
- Diagnosis of learning disabilities
So many of these symptoms appear to be ambiguous and common to all children’s behavior. What else can a parent do to help? One thing that has recently been exposed is the myth that children can only take a hearing test when they are 5 years old. Thanks to new technologies, children can have their hearing tested just a few hours after birth. Some states even require it! You don’t have to wait for your child to enter the school system or have a physical exam every year.
In the case of mild impairments and serious losses in children, it is best if these are identified as early as possible. In this way, hearing solutions can be set up as quickly as possible. If it is not treated, it can seriously interfere with a child’s development. We would have social problems, develop language, learn at school, etc. Your child may only hear a small percentage of everything that is said to them, and you may not know it.
The effects of hearing loss on children need not be large if they are treated appropriately. A means besides speech therapy etc. would also be hearing aids and other similar devices. Many hearing aids are manufactured today that are aesthetically pleasing and in no way produce excessive taste in your child. They are small and most people don’t even see them. With technology improving so much over time, the shift from non-hearing aid wearer to wearer is nowhere near as shocking as it was a decade ago, or even five years ago. .