Hearing Loss in Children: Signs, Causes, and Early Intervention

Hearing loss impacts people of all ages, and although it’s common in older adults, young children may also develop this impairment. As parents, we are to monitor and watch over our children continuously.

So, we closely monitor their development and how well they are growing. However, if they may have some difficulties in their hearing, it’s essential to act on the early signs and causes right away before they get worse.

This article will break down what may cause children to be unable to hear in the early stages of their lives.

We will understand the potential signals to look out for and go into detail about the importance of early intervention and why checking our child’s health will improve their quality of life as they grow older. 

Why Children?

It can feel daunting as a parent or guarding when you notice your young child starts to experience hearing loss. For example, some reasons could be temporary because of loud noises, leading to sensorineural hearing loss. In contrast, other causes may be due to permanent complications inherited at birth. Let’s look at some likely factors:

Genetics: These play a significant role in your child’s development. Perhaps there was something that your child inherited from the parents, or it could have been a genetic abnormality that has led to the hearing loss.

Either way, it’s nothing that you or your little one should feel embarrassed about. These things are entirely normal and mean more awareness is needed.

Medical conditions: Some babies are born with certain medical conditions. For example, if your child was born prematurely or had complications with the pregnancy, it may impact how well they can hear as they begin their development into childhood.

Infections can impact anyone, but tiny ones that may not have the most robust immune systems. Some conditions like meningitis or ear infections can cause damage to the inner ear canal that would cause hearing loss.

What is Early Intervention?

Once you notice that your child’s hearing has some abnormalities, we recommend you support them through early intervention. At Hearing Associates of Las Vegas, we do all we can, specializing in infants and young children diagnosed with hearing ailments. 

Our medical team will be there to guide parents on what the specific hearing issue could be and where to go from there. Through our programs, we’ll introduce language, communication, and social skills to ensure the parent and child are prepared for their future. Examples of early intervention services include:

Speech and language development is essential in pediatric care. As your child is in their early years, they will need additional help growing their communication skills effectively. This will mean helping them understand language and how to have clarity in their speech, and if required, sign language can be brought in. 

Moreover, auditory training methods will be incorporated into the therapy sessions. That way, our medical team can accurately monitor how well your infant is progressing with the treatment.

Support for parent education is necessary so that you understand how to speak with your little one. It may be frustrating at times if you don’t know how to handle the situation correctly, so similarly, with speech and language therapy, you’ll understand the best ways to communicate and interact to give your child the best quality of life.

Emotional care is something we take very seriously when dealing with hearing loss. When children take longer to develop skills, they may feel left out of a lack of confidence in social settings. But we want to change that. That’s why our early detection and intervention services are vital to ensuring your child receives the best care.

Hearing aids can also be essential for children who need assistance heightening the sounds of those around them. In addition to hearing aids, cochlear implants are also effective in helping users increase sounds and help with their listening and communication skills.

Possible Hearing Loss Signs

If you have any concerns that your child may be going through hearing loss, you should look out and monitor any potential signs. These can include:

• Babies have little to no reaction to loud noises, i.e., no startling or crying because of a loud bang or sudden exclamation.
• If they seem to be taking a while to reach new communication milestones, i.e., getting for items, mouthing words, mimicking parents’ words.
• Children may struggle in school settings, like having difficulties concentrating or taking in information as quickly as others.
• I listened to the television or digital devices in the highest volume settings.
• Speech sounds delayed, and they struggle to listen to instructions.

Final Thoughts

Overall, some infants and children may experience hearing loss in the first few years of their lives. 

It can be challenging for the parents and the young ones because this is just the start of their growth and development, whether influenced by genetic factors or has emerged from external reasons like loud noises. It doesn’t mean they still cannot live happy and fulfilling lives. 

With the help of early intervention services and techniques to boost their confidence and communication skills, you won’t need to worry about their development and social interactions in the future. 

If you want to discover more about hearing loss in children and how we evaluate each patient at the Hearing Associates of Las Vegas, check out our website to contact our specialists today.