How Hearing Loss Affects Your Child

Even though hearing loss is most closely associated with the elderly, it can also affect children in ways you might not be aware of. This is because it can be difficult to tell if your child is having trouble hearing, since they may not be able to express it as well as older individuals. It’s important to watch out for certain signs and have your child regularly screened, and here are some of the ways children can be affected by hearing loss if untreated.

Communication Development

One of the most important things that children learn in their early life is expression and communication, and this is almost exclusively learned through listening to those around them. If this occurs early, it can cause serious delays in language expression and retention, and this can affect all areas of development. Signs of this can include a small vocabulary of concrete words, difficulty with complex sentence structure, and incorrect grammar as a result of being unable to hear precise sounds that accompany conjugation and subject agreement.

Academic Development

If you notice a sudden drop in your child’s academic accomplishment, it could be caused by being unable to hear in the classroom. This can be a major deterrent to your child’s learning progression if left untreated, since it can be very difficult to catch up on concepts that commonly build on one another. This can be especially apparent in reading and mathematical classes, with some children’s comprehension falling as much as four grades below their peers, which is a gap that can only widen as hearing loss progresses.

Social Development

Although this factor can have many causes, hearing loss is one that can be particularly frustrating for parents who don’t realize it may be occurring. Hearing loss can lead to social isolation for children who are unable to navigate a conversation or listen to instructions during social events. A lack of social development can follow children for much of their life if they are unable to overcome it, which can seem impossible if they’re experiencing untreated hearing loss.

Hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects in children, and many parents don’t think to pay attention to signs it may be developing during their child’s formative years. Your first step is a screening with our ENT specialists who can determine the severity and recommend the right hearing aid for your child. Contact our office to schedule an appointment.