Early intervention can minimise the effects of hearing loss on your child’s development
As your baby grows and develops there are key signs to look out for that could indicate that your child has a hearing problem. At any stage, if you sense that your child might suffer from hearing loss it’s important to seek professional advice from a hearing health care professional as soon as possible.
If your child appears to struggle with language or following instructions at school the teacher will probably suggest a hearing test to rule out hearing loss as a possible cause.
Seven signs of hearing loss?
-Speech that is unclear and not age appropriate,
-Loud sounds don’t startle or wake the baby,
-Your baby does not imitate sounds,
-When being called from behind, your child does not react,
-You find yourself having to repeat what you say,
-Your child struggles at school,
-Your child struggles with listening activities
What puts a child at risk for hearing problems?
-History of chronic middle ear infection
-Other family members who have speech, language and hearing problems
-Any history of mumps, measles or meningitis
-Any history of ventilation problems lasting more than 5 days
-Any history of hyperbilirubenemia or jaundice
-Diagnosis of a syndrome associated with any type of hearing loss
-Any presence or history of cleft palate
-Birth weight of less than 1500g
-Any consumption of medication that may damage hearing or cause tinnitus
Why is hearing testing important?
Untreated hearing loss may negatively impact your child’s ability to speak, learn to read and thrive at school. If you are worried about your child’s hearing it is important to have it checked by a hearing health care professional.
If you discover that there is a problem, Southern ENT may have some of the possible solutions to your child’s hearing problems so that they could live their life to the fullest.
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