Loss In Children

Hearing loss is a non-discriminatory condition. It can happen to anyone, at any age. Children or babies may not understand that they have hearing difficulties. Depending on the cause of their hearing loss they may indicate simply by pulling on their ears. If they are able to speak, they may as “Huh?” frequently or turn up the volume on the radio or television. Preventative care and regular hearing screenings may help significantly reduce the risk of hearing loss in children, or help prevent it from becoming worse.  

Hearing Loss in Children

There are two primary categories of hearing loss, congenital and acquired. Hearing loss can then be categorized further into sensorineural, conductive or mixed depending on what areas of the ear they affect and if the hearing loss is permanent or temporary. Most children with any type of congenital hearing loss are usually born to parents with normal hearing.

There can be many different causes for hearing loss; genetics, problems at birth, otitis media, illness, injuries to the child or baby, or even an infection while in-utero.

Viral infections such as Toxoplasmosis, Syphilis, Rubella, Herpes, and Cytomegalovirus have been known to increase the risk of hearing loss, although many virus carrying parents have had perfectly healthy babies. There are medications that are identified as risk factors that may affect hearing including antibiotics like gentamycin, tobramycin, kanamycin, and streptomycin.

At birth, all babies are evaluated on a 10 point scale called an APGAR score. They test for A-activity, such as muscle tone, P-pulse, G-grimace (reflex irritability), A-appearance, including skin color and R-respirations. Babies are then given APGAR scores at 1 and 5 minutes after birth, the higher the number, the better the score. Babies who score 0-4 on the first test and 0-6 for the second, are considered at risk of hearing loss, long or short

term.

If after birth, all seems well, keep checking. Always be on the lookout for symptoms, such as, not reacting to loud noises or your voice, or persistent tugging on their ears. Depending on the type of hearing loss they may just seem to be unhappy for no reason, act tired, not pay attention or understand simple instructions. These changes bear watching. A parent would be the first to see any signs or symptoms of hearing loss so the best prevention would be to be aware of the signs, be aware of the milestones the child should be reaching and contact the physician if any questions do arise.

If the child does have hearing loss there are many advancements in modern technology such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, amplifiers, etc. Although there are times when a hearing device is not the best option, children or adults may learn to read lips, or sign, and thrive and live happy lives.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the primary sign language in the United States, ASL originated in the early 19th century, ASL signs include hand movements, phonemic components, movements of the face and torso. As there are many different spoken languages there are also different types of sign languages, depending on geographic location, with many variations within the American Sign Language alone it is a language worth learning.