How to Know Whether Your Child Has a Hearing Problem

We all want what’s best for our children. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on all aspects of their well-being, including their ability to hear well. This, after all, will play a fundamental role in their development.

A child who is not hearing as well as they could face learning and cognitive challenges. All babies in the United States receive a hearing test at birth, but after that level, it’ll be up to the parents to keep an eye on the child’s hearing and to ensure that there are no issues. 

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at hearing loss in children, including what it is, what causes it, signs to look for and what you can do from a treatment perspective. 

What Is Hearing Loss in Children? 

To begin, let’s think about what hearing loss in children actually is. A child may be diagnosed with hearing loss if they’re unable to hear sounds below a specific level of volume. This may be in just one of the ears or in both. The mildest level of volume that qualifies as hearing loss is around 20 decibels, which is typically the volume of people whispering or leaves rustling. 

Being unable to hear sounds below around 40 decibels is considered mild hearing loss. Moderate hearing loss is sound below 41-60 decibels; severe is 61-80 decibels and profound is 81+ decibels.

It’s not just about being able to hear sounds in general, however. There are various types of hearing loss. For instance, some children may find it difficult to hear high pitched sounds, even though they can hear low pitched sounds. All in all, there’s not one standard type of hearing loss – each person’s experience is unique to them.

Studies have shown that around 15% of children and teenagers experience some form of hearing loss. The vast majority of these people have only slight hearing loss, and in most cases, it was confined to one ear. 

Signs in Young Children

Now that we’ve taken a look at an overview of hearing loss in children let’s take a look at the signs that you should be looking for. Because of the way that hearing develops, there are different signs you should be looking for in young children versus older children. Let’s begin with young children. 

A child with healthy levels of hearing will do the following:

• Become startled when they hear a loud noise.
• Smile when you are talking to them.
• Appear to understand that you are speaking.
• Look in the general direction of where sounds are coming from.

If they’re not doing those things, then it’ll be important to visit an audiologist. 

Signs in Older Children

The signs of hearing loss in older children, including those of toddler age and above, signs of hearing loss can present themselves in the following ways:

• Limited ability or range when speaking.
• Fails to respond when their name is spoken.
• Plays television or video games at a higher than usual level.
• Answers questions in an unusual way, signifying that they didn’t hear the question properly. 

Visiting an Audiologist

The examples that we gave above will act as signs that your child has a hearing problem. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the case. The only way to have the suspicion confirmed is by visiting an audiologist. They will be able to perform a series of hearing tests that’ll determine whether there is hearing loss and, if so, the extent of it. 

Treatment for Hearing Loss in Children

If the audiologist finds that there is some hearing loss, then they’ll also offer treatment options. Depending on the severity of the loss, this may include simple lifestyle changes or getting a hearing aid. There are a series of hearing aids available, including behind the ear, in the ear and in the canal types, so there will surely be an option that is suitable for your child. 

If you suspect that your child may have hearing loss, then it’s important to take action as soon as possible. Here at Eartech Audiology, our trained audiologists can perform a hearing test on your children and also offer some treatment options, if required. To make an appointment, all you need to do is give us a call at (866) 464-1008 or click the request an appointment button at the top of this page and fill out the contact form.