Hearing Problems in Children

Most children are able to hear the minute they are born. However, two or three out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born without the ability to hear. Hearing problems such as hearing loss can be a significant life-changing event to a newborn baby or child and to his or her family. Among the wide range of hearing disabilities, there are two different types of permanent hearing loss and a condition of temporary hearing impairment that can be seen commonly among children. Treatment options are available to resolve reversible hearing problems and understanding if your child is experiencing hearing difficulties can help the treatment process be more effective.

Temporary hearing loss in children can be caused by a variety of problems. These include a collection of wax in the ear canal, a foreign object stuck in the ear, excess mucus that accompanies a cold and sits in the Eustachian tube, or an ear infection such as otitis media (infection of the middle ear). Children can also develop hearing problems from specific diseases such as meningitis. Although there are many causes of temporary hearing loss, permanent hearing impairment is also possible.

Permanent deafness can fall into one of two categories. The first type is a hearing condition where the auditory nerve (cranial nerve 8) in the inner ear is damaged. This damage cannot be reversed. The other [Page 810]type of hearing loss is where external sound waves are unable to reach the inner ear. This can be caused by numerous problems such as earwax buildup, fluid collection, or even a punctured eardrum that cannot be fixed. Hearing problems that go without the proper treatment and care progressively get worse until they disappear completely. Treatment options include hearing aids, special training, specific medications, and certain surgical procedures. Because of the problems that can arise without early treatment of hearing impairment, it is imperative that you take note of your child's daily activities and look for signs that might indicate some difficulty in hearing. Some of these signs include when a child fails to respond when called, complains of hearing ringing in his or her ears, speaks loudly at inappropriate times, watches television at an abnormally high volume, pronounces words incorrectly, comes across as inattentive, and is highly prone to daydreaming. If any of these indications are noted, it is crucial that action be taken immediately.

Two or three out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born without the ability to hear.

The mechanism of the process of hearing and the reasoning behind hearing impairment is an important concept necessary to learn to develop a strong understanding of this disability. Unfortunately, sound does not travel properly through fluid or cerumen (earwax), and because of this, children who develop ear infections may experience difficulties in hearing. Normal speech tends to sound soft spoken like a whisper, so these children are inclined to feel the need to speak much louder. This hearing impairment only exists so long as the infection is present. It has no connection with any permanent hearing deficits. Nevertheless, if the child were to develop constant recurrent middle ear infections, it is likely that this child will experience a delay in his or her speech development only because he or she is unable to hear properly.

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