As a parent, one of the hardest things to detect with your child is the signs of hearing loss, especially if it's only partial. However, that's one of the reasons why most hospitals conduct a newborn hearing screen to check your child's hearing at birth. If you've been told that your child's hearing screen was inconclusive or that your child failed the hearing screen in one or both ears, you'll need to follow up with a specialist. However, sometimes kids that pass the screen still have some level of hearing loss. Here are some signs to watch for.
Not Responding To Speech
If you're across the room or in another room and you call your child's name, they should turn in the direction you're calling from. For toddlers, sometimes play can be quite distracting, but they should still acknowledge that you're speaking. If you find that you have to actually get in front of your child and get their direct attention before they hear you, that could be a key indicator of hearing loss. In those cases, kids use lip-reading as a means to reinforce the sounds that they're hearing.
Speaking Very Loudly
Anyone who has been around children knows that kids can be pretty loud sometimes. However, they aren't usually that loud all the time. If your child speaks at a volume that's unnaturally loud all the time, seems to yell in social situations even when it's not warranted, and is generally much louder than you would otherwise deem necessary, it could be that your little one has some hearing loss and can't actually tell how loud they are being.
Excessive Entertainment Volume
Does your child turn the television or video games up to uncomfortable levels? Does he or she complain that they can't hear the television if you turn it down to a typical volume? Those are also frequent indicators of hearing problems. You might also notice that your child's headphones are louder than you would expect. Many times, like adults, kids will just turn the volume up to try to compensate for hearing loss.
Hearing loss is one of the most difficult problems to identify as a parent. However, these warning signs are a great place to start. If you're seeing signs like this in your child, you should reach out to a pediatrician right away for more help. He or she can request the necessary testing.
Share26 May 2022
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