Seeing the Signs of Hearing Loss in a Child
Hearing health
Some signs of hearing loss are common to everyone, but others are very specific to a particular age group. You must therefore pay particular attention to the behaviour of your little ones to intervene quickly if necessary. Please note that it is recommended that you have your child’s hearing checked before making a speech therapy appointment.
Signs of Hearing Loss
Baby
- Doesn’t react to the auditory environment (e.g. music, parent’s voice, sudden noise)
- Doesn’t seem to hear you when they can’t see you
- Exhibits delayed babbling
Young Child
- Has trouble with pronunciation
- Has a limited vocabulary
- Reaches a plateau in language development
- Has behavioural problems, both at daycare and at home
- Is easily distracted in a noisy environment
School-Age Child
- Has trouble concentrating with ambient noise
- Has behavioural problems, both at school and at home
- Struggles with schoolwork
- Tends to turn up the volume on the TV
- Disobeys instructions because they do not understand them
- Asks others to repeat themselves
Types of Deafness and Hearing Assessments
Currently, some hospitals offer a hearing screening at birth. The government recently announced a plan to make this test universal by the end of 2021. If the newborn passes the test, then the presence of moderate or more severe hearing loss can be ruled out. However, a successful hearing screening at birth does not rule out mild hearing loss or progressive hearing loss. Children can also develop some deafness as they grow older.
A hearing impairment can be temporary or permanent, depending on the cause. For example, mucoid otitis (also called serous otitis) is a common cause of temporary deafness. This hearing impairment is considered temporary, because the accumulated fluid behind the eardrum can resolve itself naturally or with a medical treatment.
You can have your child’s hearing assessed, regardless of their age!
Like eye exams, their hearing should be checked a few times during the child’s development and before each school year as a preventive measure.