What Is Hearing Loss In Children?

Hearing loss may hinder a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills. The earlier children with hearing loss receive assistance, the better their chances of reaching their full potential. If you suspect your kid has hearing loss, schedule a hearing test with an audiologist as soon as feasible. 

A child may be diagnosed with hearing loss if they can’t hear sounds below a specific volume level in either one ear (known as unilateral) or both ears (known as bilateral). The most basic threshold is usually approximately 15 to 20 decibels (dB), which is roughly equivalent to the sound of leaves rustling or people whispering.

Even though not hearing leaves rustle is considered a mild form of hearing loss, it can make it difficult to understand specific parts of the conversation. That is why correcting hearing loss in children is so important because they begin acquiring language as soon as they are born.

Types Of Hearing Loss

• Conductive hearing loss
• Sensorineural hearing loss
• Mixed hearing loss

Causes Of Hearing Loss In Children

Hearing loss in kids is caused by a variety of factors.

• Congenital factors ( by birth)
• Acquired factors ( acquired later in childhood)

Common Congenital Conditions

• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during birth
• Genetic reasons

Congenital CMV infection occurs when a baby is infected with CMV while still in the uterus. In the United States, congenital CMV infection is the most frequent congenital viral infection. Hearing loss and other issues can be present in infected babies. Children who were infected just before, during, or shortly after birth can experience hearing loss later.

A common cause is genetic problems. Hearing loss is visible from birth due to several genetic abnormalities. Other genetic abnormalities result in progressive hearing loss.

Common Acquired Conditions

Otitis Media

In this condition, there is a buildup of fluid which may or may not be infected. Due to Otitis media, the affected ear can have a temporary fluctuating hearing loss. This is a common condition in children. 

However, when Otitis media occurs over and over again, it damages the eardrum, the bones of the ear, or even the hearing nerve. This in turn can cause permanent hearing loss.

Diagnosis And Screening

All babies should undergo Newborn Hearing Screening to rule out congenital hearing loss. Hearing screening includes OAE and BERA tests. Most hospitals in metro cities in India have these tests available. 

If your child is older and you suspect hearing loss, you should consider visiting an audiologist for a full range of hearing examinations like:

• Tympanometry
• Audiometry
• VRA (Visual Response Audiometry)
• BERA ( Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry)
• OAE ( Oto Acoustic Emissions)

Depending on the age and stage of your child, the expert will choose the appropriate tests.

What Is Newborn Hearing Screening 

To begin, babies are examined for echoes produced by healthy ears in response to gentle clicks using a handheld device (evoked otoacoustic emissions testing).

If the results of the first test raise concerns about a newborn’s hearing, a second test is performed to assess electrical impulses produced by the brain in response to noises (the auditory brain stem response test, or ABR).

The ABR is a painless procedure that is normally performed while the baby is sleeping. 

If the ABR results are abnormal, the test is repeated one month later. If hearing loss is still identified, children may be fitted with hearing aids and placed in an educational setting that caters to children with hearing loss.

 Imaging Studies

Hereditary testing can be done if doctors suspect the child has a genetic problem.

Imaging tests are frequently used to diagnose hearing loss and determine prognosis.

Most children have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A computed tomography (CT) scan is performed if doctors suspect bone problems.

If your child is older and you suspect hearing loss, you should consider visiting an audiologist for a full range of hearing examinations like.

• Tympanometry
• Audiometry
• VRA (Visual Response Audiometry)
• BERA ( Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry)
• OAE ( Oto Acoustic Emissions)

Depending on the age and stage of your child, the expert will choose the appropriate tests.

Other Procedures Used To Diagnose Hearing Loss In Older Children:

• To detect delays in a child’s normal development or to examine a parent’s worry about language and speech development, a sequence of questions is asked.
• Looking for abnormalities in the ears
• Testing the response of children aged 6 months to 2 years to various sounds
• Tympanometry is a test that measures the eardrum’s response to a variety of sound frequencies and can reveal whether there is fluid in the middle ear.
• After the age of two, ask youngsters to follow basic orders, which reveal whether they can hear and understand speech, or use headphones to assess their responses to sounds.

Imaging tests are frequently used to diagnose hearing loss and determine prognosis. Most children have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A computed tomography (CT) scan is performed if doctors suspect bone problems.

Treatment For Hearing Loss

Hearing can be restored by treating reversible sources of hearing loss and ear abnormalities.

• Antibiotics or surgery can be used to treat ear infections
• Earwax can be manually removed or dissolved with ear drops
• Cholesteatomas can be surgically removed.

The most crucial thing to remember is that hearing capacity aids a child’s speech and language development. The reason for a child’s hearing loss is frequently irreversible, thus the best treatment is to utilize a hearing aid to compensate as much as possible for the disability.

1. Infants and older children can both benefit from hearing aids. A hearing aid or earbuds can be utilized if the hearing loss is modest to moderate and only affects one ear. An FM auditory trainer that broadcasts a teacher’s voice to a hearing device in the normal ear can help children who have hearing loss in only one ear.
2. For children with severe hearing loss that cannot be treated with hearing aids, cochlear implants (a surgically implanted technology that transmits electrical signals directly into the auditory nerve in reaction to sounds) may be utilized.

Hearing Loss & Speech Language Delay

Hearing is crucial for the acquisition of language and speech in children and a hearing loss can result in speaking challenges in growing kids. 

Due to hearing loss, the areas of the brain which are important for speech development are not developed appropriately. This affects the acquisition of speech and understanding skills in children.

Hence it is crucial that if a hearing loss is detected it should be treated immediately and Speech-Language therapy should commence. Quality speech-language therapy makes the child an effective communicator and ensures a successful future. Speech therapy also makes a child’s speech clear and fluent for others to understand.  

Contact 1SpecialPlace for the best Speech Therapy from home for your child!