Deaf & Hard of Hearing

What causes hearing loss in children?

Hearing loss in children can be hereditary and present at birth or acquired after birth. It may be caused by numerous different factors depending on what specific type of hearing loss an individual is experiencing.

Remember, you have choices when it comes to your child and their hearing loss. This includes technology, forms of communication and education. Contact us to discuss support for your family’s unique needs.

Types of hearing loss in Children:

Mild – conversation (65dB) can be heard but softer sounds like typing on a keyboard or a dripping faucet (20-40 dB) cannot. This may not greatly affect someone but he/she may want to look into hearing aids.
Moderate – phones ringing and traffic (40-70 dB) may be lost with this degree of hearing loss. Over time, this may greatly impact an individual day-to-day. There are multiple hearing aid options available depending on the cause and severity of the hearing loss.
Severe – honking horns and arguments (70-90 dB) cannot be heard at this point. Depending on your situation, hearing aids, middle ear implants or cochlear implants may be options.
Profound – alarms and jet engines (90-120 dB) are missed with profound hearing loss. While hearing aids will not be an option at this point cochlear implants may be.

Symptoms:

Misunderstanding directions
Needing the volume on TV or stereo up louder than normal
Unexplained irritability
Pulling at the ears
Not following simple commands
Not using his/her voice to attract attention

Facts about Children with Hearing Loss:

Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop speech, language, and social skills.
Hearing loss is the number one birth defect in the country; each year more than 12,000 babies are born with a hearing loss.
1 in 1,000 newborns are born profoundly deaf.
Early identification and intervention may enable children who are deaf to develop language skills similar to their hearing peers.
A deaf child can do anything a hearing child can do except hear; hearing loss in an individual does not mean they are intellectually or developmentally disabled.
Children with unilateral hearing loss (hearing loss in one ear) are 10 times as likely to be held back at least one grade level.