Routine hearing
tests is essntial for identifying the children and babies with hearing
impairment because it can have a great and long-term impact on the development
of a child. After all, there are basically several reasons that cause hearing
problems in a child.
About 1 or 2 in every thousand babies in Australia are born
with some degree of hearing loss in one or both the ears. Hundreds of children
are in fact born each and every year with permanent hearing impairment in both
the ears.
Routine hearing tests should be done for identifying the
children and babies with hearing impairment because it can have a great and
long-term impact on the development of a child. For instance, children start to
learn language and speech in the first six months of their life. And if they
have hearing problems, that may affect the language and speech development of
the child, his or her confidence level, education as well as social skills. So,
the earlier the hearing loss or deafness is detected, the sooner you will be
able to help your child learn to communicate.
Paediatric hearing tests that are conducted soon after the
birth usually helps in identifying the babies with hearing impairment.
Diagnosing hearing problems early helps you know whether your child needs
special learning support services. You should first test your child’s hearing
in hospital shortly after the birth. If the paediatric hearing test is not done before leaving the hospital,
get it done within the first month of birth. After conducting the test, if
deafness is suspected, ensure an otolaryngologist orders tests for your child’s
hearing within 3 months. If any kind of defect is confirmed in the ear(s), buy
a digital hearing aid for your child to help him or her communicate better.
There are basically several reasons that cause hearing problems
in a child, including temporary deafness from cold. The other causes of hearing
loss, which may be detected during routine paediatric hearing tests include:
- Glue ear-It is a fluid buildup in the mid ear. This is very common among young children.
- Infections-This develops in womb during birth like cytomegalovirus or rubella that cause progressive hearing loss.
- Inherited conditions-Conditions like otosclerosis basically stop the nerves or ears from working in a proper way.
- Damage to the auditory or cochlear nerves-These generally transmit hearing signals to brain. The damage may be caused by severe injury to the head, exposure to the loud noises or different other factors like head surgery.
- Birth asphyxia or severe jaundice-Birth asphyxia happens when being starved of O2 during birth. Jaundice on the other hand is caused by when bilirubin is buildup in blood.
- Illnesses- Encephalitis or meningitis even causes hearing loss in children.