HY 03/07: Can Your Child Hear You? | Lehigh Valley Hospital

If not, the problem may be easy to treat

Children are more prone than adults to ear infections because of the angle and shorter length of their Eustachian tubes.

Signs of Hearing Loss

Your infant doesn’t “startle” when exposed to sudden noise, doesn’t respond to the sound of your voice, and/or doesn’t turn her head toward a sound.
Your baby says fewer words than normal for her age (two words at age 1, four words at 18 months, 10 words at age 2).
Your toddler never looks up when you enter a room.
Your child often turns up the volume on the TV or music player.

You call your 2-year-old son to dinner, but he doesn’t look up from his puzzle. Is he hearing-impaired? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s what could be going on (from most to least common):

“Parent deafness”—Your child can hear you, but is too engrossed in his puzzle to respond. It’s normal (though frustrating) behavior. “Many parents get in the habit of repeating their request again and again, increasing the volume and threats,” says pediatrician Anthony Dimick, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. His advice: Repeat the request only once, after coming down close to your child, touching his face gently and making eye contact. If he still ignores you, remove the toy (or turn off the program) he’s engrossed in.

Fluid buildup—When bacteria or viruses infect the middle ear (the air-filled space behind the eardrum), pus and fluid collect there. This puts pressure on the eardrum, preventing it from vibrating effectively and reducing what your child hears. “It’s like putting your finger over your ear,” says Dimick’s colleague, ear-nose-throat specialist Thomas Koch, M.D. If the hearing problem persists, your pediatrician might suggest ear tubes. They’re inserted through a tiny hole in the eardrum to equalize pressure and allow fluid to drain.

Structural hearing loss—Your child may have genetically caused hearing loss. The inner ear or hearing nerves might also have been damaged by an infection or exposure to loud noise. These types of problems usually are treated with hearing aids, Koch says.

Auditory processing disorder—If your child has this rare disorder, his ears are structurally normal but his brain doesn’t understand the sounds he hears. Such children have trouble following multi-step directions and often learn better if they have visual cues.

Even if you think your child may only have parent deafness, mention your concerns to your health care provider. Young children can’t learn how to talk if they can’t hear, so the earlier you treat a hearing problem, the better.

Want to Know More about ear tubes? Click here.