Milestones of Communication
A newborn’s ability to functionally use hearing develops with experience. Most babies are born with normal hearing. Binaural hearing (hearing in both left and right ears) allows your child to pinpoint sound with great accuracy and understand speech in a noisy background.
Signs of Hearing Problems
Always be alert to situations where your child is not responding to sound appropriately, as this may be a signal of hearing loss. Sometimes it is difficult to detect mild forms of hearing loss, including hearing loss in one ear only.
Newborn Hearing Screening
Newborn hearing screening can help identify hearing problems early. Screening may take place in hospital or at a designated screening unit.
Evaluation of a Child’s Hearing Loss
Detection of hearing loss in children should occur as early in life as possible. Ideally, infants born with hearing loss should be identified by three months of age so that rehabilitation programs — including the fitting of hearing instruments — can be initiated. The first three years of life are critical to speech and language development.
Testing Your Child’s Hearing
Comprehensive hearing assessment can be completed at any age if there is any suspicion that a hearing problem exists. Hearing is not an all or nothing phenomena. Without direct testing, it is impossible to determine that a child hears perfectly across the range of frequencies necessary for understanding speech.
Some Common Hearing Problems in Children
Some of the most common hearing problems in children include wax, foreign objects, swimmer’s ear, and otitis media.
When Permanent Hearing Loss Exists
For children with permanent hearing loss, optimizing their auditory skills is most important. All children with hearing loss benefit from early intervention, which includes hearing instruments or assistive devices or other sensory aids that are prescribed for the child’s specific auditory problem.
Noise Exposure
One of the most common and yet completely preventable causes of permanent sensorineural hearing loss is exposure to sound levels that are excessively loud. High noise levels first cause temporary and then permanent damage to the sensory hair cells within the cochlea.
For additional information, see Your baby’s hearing from the Canadian Paediatric Society.