HEARING LOSS IN CHILDREN
A child with mild hearing loss will have trouble hearing soft sounds, including people with soft voices. A child with moderate hearing loss will have trouble following conversations at a normal level, particularly if there is background noise. A child with severe hearing loss has trouble hearing loud voices.
Delayed speech, mumbling, the inability to follow basic directions, missing social milestones, and watching TV too loudly may also be signs of hearing loss in your toddler. Your toddler may also complain of hearing things that you can't hear, such as buzzing or humming noises.
- inattentiveness or poor concentration.
- not responding when their name is called.
- talking loudly and listening to the television at a high volume.
- difficulty pinpointing where a sound is coming from.
- mispronouncing words.
- a change in their progress at school.
In addition, several language and intelligence tests were administered. Hearing-impaired children showed significantly more proactive aggression, symptoms of psychopathy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder than their normally hearing peers.
- Does not react to loud sounds.
- Does not seek out or detect where sound is coming from.
- Has stopped babbling and experimenting with making sounds.
- Still babbles but is not progressing to more understandable speech.
- Doesn't react to voices, even when being held.
Hearing aids work by increasing the volume of sounds. Many people who are considered deaf still have some degree of hearing. If this is the case, specially-designed hearing aids may be able to improve your hearing. Hearing aids can increase your awareness of speech and other sounds around you.
