Identifying Hearing Loss in Children
Signs of Partial Deafness for Daycare Providers and Early Educators
Feb 3, 2009
An infant or young child can experience hearing loss for different reasons. For instance, the most prevalent temporary impairment in a child’s ability to hear occurs due to an accumulation of fluid in the ear canal during a common cold or ear infection. However, youngsters with permanent damage or genetic hearing loss will need to be diagnosed as soon as possible by their primary care givers.
Hearing Impairment Types and Treatments
Conductive hearing loss is one that is caused by a physical abnormality of the outer ear canal, middle ear, or trapped fluid. Sensorineural hearing loss is an abnormality in the inner ear or in the nerves that carry signals from the ear to the brain. Treatments for each type are different and vary in effectiveness but could include surgery in the former case (for fluid removal or tube implantation) or hearing aids and cochlear implants in the latter.
Speech therapy will also be considered for a child who is hard of hearing. Children with partial deafness can learn to speak, but many will not be able to annunciate clearly. The important thing for all children with hearing loss is to be able to communicate. Sign language is most likely to be a primary form of communication that children and caregivers will need to pursue.
Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss
Signs of partial deafness can be easier to spot at home where the typical background noise of a classroom environment does not interfere with normal hearing. Nevertheless, when any of the following signs are repeatedly noticed, it should alert daycare providers or teachers that there may be an undiagnosed hearing problem:
- Tilting head when trying to listen
- Trouble holding head steady or slow to stand/sit
- Difficulty hearing some sounds but not others (hearing loss at different pitches or in only one ear)
- Not startled by sudden, loud noises
- Not responding when called
- Presence of others not acknowledged until within sight range
- Delayed, garbled speech
- Speech limited to vibrating noises that can be felt, rather than single word/syllable sounds
- Asks for instructions to be repeated
- Prefers to work alone, withdrawn behavior
- Looking at lips when listening to others
- Frustration and acting out
Chances are, children who are hard of hearing will grow to become productive, content members of society. To help them achieve this goal, parents, daycare providers, and teachers must identify hearing problems early by paying close attention to symptoms of hearing loss in the youngsters they care for. Early intervention is the key to providing hard of hearing children with the help and developmental support they require for success.
Sources:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Caring For Your Baby And Young Child - Birth To Age 5. NY: Bantam Books, June 1998. (Editor-In-Chief: Steven P. Shelov, M.D., F.A.A.P.)
Yanoff, Jerome C., The Classroom Teacher’s Inclusion Handbook. Chicago: Arthur Coyle Press, 2007.
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