Hearing Loss in Children:
Hearing is very important for children, as hearing is the first step to speaking. But some suffer from hearing disabilities right from their birth or childhood. They find it difficult to speak or develop languages. If your infant or kid is having hearing impairments or hearing loss, he/she will show the following signs.- Does not respond to sounds
- Does not make babbling sounds
- Speech is delayed
- Speech is not clear
- Difficulty identifying the source of sounds or speech
These are some of the common signs that you might trace in your child if he/she is victimized by hearing issues.
Hearing loss happens due to various causes. It cannot be denied that these children suffer a lot until they are treated. Through treatment, some aid can be given to make the child hear.
Consulting an Audiologist:
It can be a tougher situation to see your young one suffering from hearing impairments in children. But you are not helpless. An audiologist is someone whom you should be consulting to get the right guidance for your child.
Asking questions to your audiologist is the most important step while taking your child to the audiologist. You may not know everything and it is totally fine. You can ask the audiologist about the severity of your child’s hearing loss. You can ask him/her to explain to you the terms sensorineural, conductive, mixed, mild, moderate, severe, profound, and auditory neuropathy. You can ask if both the ears are affected, and what can be done for the child’s communication and education. You can ask what you should do as a parent to make your child’s life comfortable. You can ask about the parental support groups that can aid you in bringing up your child. You can request him/her to educate you on the options to treat your child’s hearing loss.
In most cases, hearing loss is treatable. Consult an audiologist to receive the appropriate treatment for your child’s hearing condition. Consulting an audiologist is better than consulting an otolaryngologist. An otolaryngologist focuses on complex medical issues related to the ear, nose and throat, whereas an audiologist is an expert who assesses and identifies the hearing disorder and provides you medical solutions. You can take the liberty to clarify your doubts before accepting any treatment or helping aids.
You can expect the audiologist to carry out several tests to analyze the level of hearing loss of your child. Audiometry tests, tympanometry, acoustic reflexes, otoacoustic emissions, speech audiometry, and word recognition are some of the common tests used by audiologists to assess the severity of hearing loss in your child. Following the assessment, treatment will be carried out.
How will it be treated:
After analyzing the situation of your child your audiologist might come out with the following solutions.
Cochlear Implant:
The cochlear implant is not similar to hearing aids. A hearing aid amplifies the sound to be sensed by the damaged ears. It is a small, electronic device that aids in hearing impairments. The cochlear implant is done through both surgery and significant therapy. However, it should be understood that the device helps to hear and doesn’t restore hearing.
Bone Bridge Implant:
A bone bridge implant is used to treat conductive, mixed, or unilateral hearing loss. As it is completely placed under the skin, it doesn’t cause any open wounds or maintenance for the skin. This is the first of its kind in the world.
Speech Therapy:
From the name itself, it is evident that speech therapy trains people with speaking disabilities to communicate without any hurdles. We are well aware that, at times, hearing impairments might also lead to speaking disabilities. This training is given by a speech therapist. Speech therapy is given in the cases of hearing impairments as well. Speech therapists also collaborate with audiologists in the treatment of hearing loss.
The treatment of hearing loss is limitless. There are several ways to treat hearing loss. You also have options like assistive listening devices, frequency modulation systems, and infrared listening devices to aid your kid’s hearing loss with high-quality hearing assistance. At times, a facial nerve monitor reduces the risks taking place during ENT treatments is used. Consult an audiologist before carrying out any treatment.
If your kid is suffering from hearing loss and you are searching for an ENT hospital in Coimbatore, then visit Vikram ENT Hospital. We have the best ENT doctors in Coimbatore to provide world-class treatment.
