If Kids Don’t Listen, Maybe They Can’t Hear
Many hearing problems go undetected in children, leaving them with developmental challenges that could have been avoided. The earlier the diagnosis, the sooner the child can get help ie a hearing aid and the greater the potential for the development of language and speech.
Recent studies show that about 12 per cent of children in developed countries experience some hearing loss. Research also shows that one in three children has hearing loss of a degree that makes learning difficult.
Children spend nearly half of the day in some form of listening activity, so even mild hearing loss can affect how a child learns and can impact their academic performance. Around thirty per cent of children who have hearing loss are believed to fail a grade. However, a hearing test isn’t automatically suggested when a child starts to show learning or developmental problems.
Often, children with impaired hearing are referred to by teachers as ‘disruptive’, ‘unable to sit still’, ‘distracted’ and ‘will not listen’. Findings are emerging which reveal that behavioural or academic problems in children are exacerbated by hearing loss. Similarly, issues of concentration, distractibility, impulsiveness and inappropriate attention levels are often associated with the most commonly diagnosed behavioural childhood disorder, namely attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Sometimes, an undiagnosed hearing loss can be attributed to ADHD, and there may be some confusion between the two.
It is vital that children have their hearing tested regularly. We take our children to the dentist regularly for a check-up, why not for a hearing test? .
A hearing screening will test for hearing loss, even at birth. The causes of hearing loss are many and varied – eg in newborns it could be premature birth or complications at birth, infections during pregnancy or medications and in older children, it could be from trauma or head injury, recurring ear infections, holes in the ear drum, noise-induced hearing loss etc. However, in about half of cases, no cause is found.
What should one do if a child has hearing loss ? Hearing aids are the most common non-medical treatment. A hearing aid will amplify sound which will help with the most common type of hearing loss, ie dysfunction of the outer hair cell.
Hearing aid technology has improved considerably in recent times, and there are a number of products on the market to suit different needs and budgets. Hearing aids are basically like a miniature public address system and the easiest way to categorise them is by the place on the body where they are worn, ie :
· Behind the ear (BTE)
· ITE or in the ear
· ITC or in the canal
· CIC or completely-in-the-canal
Your local Perth hearing aids specialist will be able to advise on what type of instrument is best suited to your needs, but the best advice would be to schedule a hearing test for your children as soon as possible. The earlier the diagnosis, the better chance of preventing problems later on in life.
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