Number of Times Read : 99     Word Count: 472

How to Know Whether Your Child Has Potential Hearing Loss

By : Clara Gore    Five stars rating
Submitted 2010-06-26 10:36:40
Hearing loss in infants and children is not a common occurrence, but the effects, when it occurs, can devastate parents. Hearing interruptions in the crucial period of development of a child may permanently affect how he communicates when he gets older. Receiving auditory feedback is a necessity for infants if they are to be able to develop their speech muscles.

You can usually tell if your child has a hearing impairment if he or she watches you closely as you talk, has a speech delay, or uses gestures more in communicating. Middle ear infections are one of the most common risk factors associated with hearing impairment. You may also consider viral and bacterial infections or the child's family history of hearing impairments as possible factors.

Since hearing impairment may occur because of repeated attacks of otitis media, parents must ask their pediatrician if their child with middle ear infections has the same case. You should know that this rarely happens among children. But because the first six months of life involve important developmental changes, the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Newborn and Infant Screening recommended that all newborns have screening before they reach one month old, with audiologic confirmation of significant hearing loss by the time they are three months old.

For those who didn't pass the first screening, a second screening is given to see whether the child needs to be observed by an audiologist or not. Parents who were not around for the second screening or have noted certain inconsistencies in the child's hearing, speech, or language may have to see the pediatrician immediately.

Those parents who change doctors for various reasons must be sure to give their family histories to the new doctors. Pediatricians can answer any inquiries related to the importance of hearing to the development of your child. Mild temporary hearing loss does not have any lasting effects in most cases. In others, prompt intervention by medical caregivers and speech therapists can do much to alleviate or compensate for hearing loss.

For those who have worse hearing loss cases, they can be assisted in developing language proficiency through the help of a personal hearing device. While toddlers accept a hearing device, they may sometimes find it uncomfortable. Parents should practice understanding a small child's rebellion. In serious cases with permanent hearing damage, parents will have to consider either learning sign language along with their child, or in appropriate cases, having a cochlear implant inserted into the middle ear to transmit sound waves.
[Valid RSS feed]  Category Rss Feed - http://www.goxart.com/rss.php?rss=9

Author Resource

As a person looking for hearing loss you should visit that site.For further insights on hearing problem be sure to visit that site.

Most Recent Articles

Categories
Status
Total Articles: 53999
Total Authors: 3983
Total Downloads: 3407550

Newest Member
Ashley Lane

Menu
Action
Download Section