Hearing Loss In Children: What You Need To Know

Hearing Loss In Children: What You Need To Know
Hearing loss does not only affect people approaching old
age. It is also prevalent in children. In fact, hearing
loss is being detected in children at a younger age than
ever before.

Type of hearing loss
The most common type of hearing loss among children is
called sensorineural which occurs due to damage of the
inner ear. The damage can be caused by an infection,
injury or most commonly, through exposure to loud noise.
This type of damage cannot be repaired.

While sensorineural hearing loss does not permanently
improve, it also does not get any worse. It involves a
lowering in the ability to hear soft sounds, to hear
clearly and can affect how well you understand speech.
Typically, this type of hearing loss can be improved
through the use of a hearing aid. Other types of hearing
loss are conductive and mixed. Conductive hearing loss is
when sounds are not conducted to the inner ear properly and
can often be corrected with surgery. Mixed hearing loss
involves both sensorineural and conductive. A hearing
professional can assess the type and degree of hearing loss
your child has.

What causes hearing loss in children
Most types of hearing loss is not genetic but is
noise-induced, brought on through outside noise that is too
loud. There are noises that you have no control over and
then there are noises that you create yourself.

Loud music, particularly music played directly into the ear
via earbuds, is one way that kids are getting exposed to
noise that can damage the ears. A recent study in
Australia found that children as young as three have shown
signs of permanent hearing loss due to listening to loud
music. Do you know that listening to music that is too loud
for more than 5 to 10 minutes can produce hearing damage?
Shocking but true.

Another similar cause of hearing loss is playing musical
instruments too loudly. It is found that playing and
practicing in a school band or orchestra can actually cause
hearing loss. This is true when the music is practiced in
an enclosed area. The National Association for Music
Education (MENC) even issued a statement that educators
need to recognize music as a cause of noise-induced hearing
loss.

What can be done
The most important thing you can do as a parent is to
become aware of the hazards of noise-induced hearing loss.
Familiarize yourself with the causes of hearing loss and
teach your children to take preventative measures.

First, try to ensure that you enforce strict volume
guidelines on things such as iPod and other listening
devices. Listen to the device yourself to determine what
you feel are safe volume levels.

Get your children to use earplugs. Just like the helmet
helps keep a child safe and protected when riding a
bicycle, earplugs can help keep ears safe from loud noises.
Ensure that your child wears the earplugs when practicing
in the band or even when mowing the lawn.

The lesson here is to be forewarned. Use precautions and
common sense to set limits for children. Teach them the
importance of taking care of their hearing and help them
understand when noise levels are too loud.

----------------------------------------------------
Several types of hearing aids are available for hearing
loss in children. The most commonly used hearing aid in
children with hearing loss is the behind-the-ear style.
Check out our hearing aid review at
http://www.abouthearingaid.com/art-child