| When we think of individuals losing their hearing | | | | 8. Frequent ear infections |
| we almost always think of older people. Of | | | | 9. Diagnosis with a learning disability |
| grandma or grandpa saying something funny in | | | | So many of these symptoms seem ambiguous |
| place of what was actually said. Hearing loss is | | | | and common to all children's behavior. What else |
| very serious and not limited to the old. Hearing | | | | can a parent do to help? One thing that has |
| loss in children is very common and more parents | | | | recently been debunked is the myth that children |
| need to know the signs and their options for | | | | cannot have a hearing test until the age of 5. Now |
| dealing with it. Not all hearing loss in children is | | | | with new technology children can have their |
| congenital contrary to popular belief. There are | | | | hearing accurately tested within hours of being |
| many children who acquire hearing loss over time. | | | | born. Some states even require it! You do not |
| Sometimes in the form of a mild impairment and | | | | need to wait for your child to enter the school |
| sometimes in the form of profound loss. | | | | system or have their yearly physical to have their |
| Sometimes when hearing loss isn't congenital its | | | | hearing tested. |
| harder for us to tell. We are trained to look for | | | | With both mild impairment and profound loss in |
| the signs and often would misinterpret what signs | | | | children, it is best that it is caught as early as |
| we are given. They might be chalked up to ADHD | | | | possible. This way hearing solutions can be put into |
| or the terrible twos. Some of the signs that one | | | | place as soon as possible. If gone untreated it |
| should look for are | | | | could severely interrupt a child's development. One |
| 1. Inattentiveness. Many children suffer from this. | | | | would have trouble socially, developing speech, |
| How would one know if it were due to hearing | | | | learning in school, etc. Your child might only be |
| loss or a child's lack of interest in something? | | | | hearing a small percentage of everything said to |
| 2. The TV or computer or radio needs to be | | | | him and you might not know. |
| turned up louder than before. Though many | | | | The impacts of the hearing loss on the children |
| children enjoy things louder, it could be a sign of | | | | don't have to be huge if treated appropriately to |
| hearing loss. | | | | begin with. One way aside from speech therapy, |
| 3. Not understanding directions. This may be a sign | | | | etc would also be hearing aids and other such |
| that your child cannot properly hear what is being | | | | devices. There are many hearing aids made today |
| said to him, not that he has a lack of willingness | | | | that are cosmetically attractive and would not |
| to cooperate. | | | | cause your child to be outcaste in any way. They |
| 4. Listlessness | | | | are small and most people never even see them. |
| 5. Unexplained anger and irritability. There lack of | | | | Because technology has improved so much over |
| understanding could lead to this. | | | | time, the transition from being a non-hearing aid |
| 6. Pulling or scratching at the ears | | | | wearer to wearing one is not nearly as jarring as |
| 7. Speech delays | | | | it was a decade ago or even five years ago. |