- Navigating the Spectrum: Understanding Hearing Impairment Degrees - December 6, 2023
- Living with Hearing Aids in Day-to-Day Life - November 22, 2023
- A Comprehensive Guide to Hearing Aids: Exploring Styles and How They Work - November 21, 2023
Hearing loss can range in severity from mild to profound. A child with mild hearing loss can hear some sounds but may have difficulty hearing all sounds, which can be vital when developing speech and language skills. Meanwhile, a child with profound hearing loss will have significant difficulty hearing any speech sounds and may only detect very loud sounds.
Although hearing loss is more typical in adulthood, children may be born with hearing impairment or develop hearing loss due to repeated ear infections and other medical diagnoses. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 2-3 out of 1,000 children in the US are born with hearing loss in either one or both ears. Parents may not realize their child is having difficulty hearing until they reach school-age or have difficulty developing typical speech and language.
Raising a child with hearing loss is not easy. It is completely normal to feel worried and overwhelmed after learning that your child has a diagnosed hearing loss. But it’s also important for you to know that you’re not alone, and there are a lot of people who are willing to assist you in facing this challenge. Educators and healthcare professionals are extensively trained in how to accommodate and assist children with hearing loss.
You can count on your child’s audiologist to guide you as your child develops and grows. An audiologist can suggest which hearing aids are the most suitable for your child and help with classroom accommodations and recommendations in the academic setting. Audiologists can also give you tips and advice on how to monitor your child’s hearing and how to promote socializing with others despite having a hearing loss.
As your child grows, it is important to encourage hearing aid use as much as possible. Children with hearing loss are able to participate in almost all activities once appropriately treated, and often show significant improvement in developmental milestones quickly after amplification.
Turn to Hearing Doctor
If you noticed that your child is having a hard time hearing, don’t hesitate to consult an audiologist. At The Hearing Doctor, we provide holistic hearing care to patients of all ages. We conduct hearing examinations and refer the most suitable treatment plans on a patient-by-patient basis.
If you are raising a child with hearing loss and have questions or advice for other parents, please join Dr. Black’s private Facebook community called “West Texas Parents of Kids with Hearing Loss.” You can also visit The Hearing Doctor for more information.