Hearing Evaluation in Children
Source: The Nemours Foundation
In the first few years of life, hearing is a critical part of a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. Even a mild or partial hearing loss can affect a child's ability to speak and understand language.
Hearing loss is a very common birth defect. Approximately 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 babies is born with some degree of hearing loss. There are a number of factors that can lead to hearing loss, and about half the time, no cause is found.
The good news is, hearing problems can be treated, if they’re caught early – ideally by the time a baby is three-months old. So it's important to get your child’s hearing screened early, and evaluated on a regular basis throughout life.
Causes of Hearing Loss
- was born prematurely
- stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit
- had high bilirubin requiring a transfusion
- was given medications that can lead to hearing loss
- has a family history of childhood hearing loss
- had complications at birth
- had frequent ear infections; had infections such as meningitis or cytomegalovirus
- exposed to very loud sounds or noises even of brief duration
When Should My Child's Hearing Be Evaluated?
Most children who are born with a hearing loss can be diagnosed through a hearing screening. But in some cases, the hearing loss is caused by things like infections, trauma, and damaging noise levels, and the problem doesn’t emerge until later in childhood. So it’s important to have your child’s hearing evaluated on a regular basis as he or she grows.
Your newborn will likely have a hearing screening before being discharged from the hospital. (Most states require this.) If your baby doesn’t have this screening, or was born at home or at a birthing center, it’s important to have a hearing screening within the first three weeks of life.
If your baby does not pass the hearing screening, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she has a hearing loss. Because debris or fluid in the ear can interfere with the test, not infrequently that these tests have to be redone in order to confirm a diagnosis.
If your newborn doesn’t pass the initial hearing screening, it’s important to get a retest within three months, in order to start treatment right away. Treatment for hearing loss can be the most effective if it’s started by the time a child is six-months old.
Kids who seem to have normal hearing, should continued to have their hearing evaluated on a regular basis at doctors’ appointments throughout life. Hearing tests are usually done at ages 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18, and at any other time if there’s a concern. But if you are concerned that your child seems to be having trouble hearing, or if their speech development seems abnormal or their speech is difficult to understand talk with your child’s doctor.
Symptoms of a Hearing Loss
Even if your newborn passes the hearing screening, it’s important to continue to watch for signs that he or she is hearing well.
Here are some hearing milestones your child should reach in the first year of life:
Other readers' comments on this article:
She and her brother are twins. Her name is Indie.
Indie has been tested at least 5 times since birth and never been able to pass her hearing test. She has "passed" the brain stem part. On June 9, 2008, Indie was "fitted" with tubes in each of her ears. Today, June 27, she was tested again...and again failed to pass the test. She has been tested each time by a certified Audiologist...we're confident he knows what he's doing...and, we trust his judgment/testing. Indie has an appointment in one week with the Dr. who has seen her several times. He also did the tubes. What should be our next step?
Posted by Stephen Andrew on Jun 27, 2008 11:50 pm