Pediatric Hearing Loss
How to tell if my child has hearing loss?
While every child is different, a significant delay or lack of speech development is often the first clue of hearing loss. Being aware of developmental milestones and looking for signs as your child grows is the best way to identify any hearing issues.
By 3 months: Your child coos, recognizes your voice and is startled by loud noises.
By 6 months: Your child recognizes familiar sounds and turns their head towards intriguing sounds, likes to use their own voice through babbling, cooing and giggling.
By 9 months: Your baby understands simple language like his own name, “Mama” “Dada” or “no,” and his babbling may begin to sound more speech-like while he works to string together noises like “da-da-da-da.”
By 12 months: Your child’s vocabulary is beginning to build, and you may be able to easily recognize what they are trying to say.
By 18 months: Your toddler’s speech is really starting to evolve while she begins to pair words together like “all done” “go out” or “Daddy up” - she knows 20-50 words at this point.
By 24 months: Adults, other than the child’s regular caretakers, should be able to decipher what your child is saying. Their vocabulary should be about 200-300 words, and they are able to speak simple sentences.
It can be more difficult to notice hearing loss in older children who have already acquired their speech skills, as they may have subconsciously developed techniques to compensate for the hearing loss. Look for these signs:
They are having trouble concentrating, usually resulting in behavioral changes (i.e. frustration and tiredness).
Your child wants the TV volume louder than other members of the family.
They don’t respond when you call them, especially when there is existing background noise.
He or she begins speaking louder than they did previously.
You feel your child is just not paying attention and asks “what?” and “huh?” more often than they used to.
When to see a provider for hearing loss?
At AOC we have both ENT physicians and audiologists on our team. That means regardless of your condition, we have specialists who can help. If you notice any of the following in your child, consider scheduling an appointment with our team.
Babies:
Not startling with noise
Trouble locating the source of noise
Speech delays
Not reacting normally to noise
Children:
Listening to the television louder than others
Communication difficulties
Difficulties in school or sudden changes in academic performance
Speech delays
What treatment options are there for hearing loss?
As with most medical conditions, early detection and intervention is important for hearing loss. In some cases, early intervention may prevent additional problems with hearing or speech development. At AOC, our team of audiologists, otolaryngologists, and speech pathologists will work together to provide a comprehensive treatment for your child and their particular situation. Depending on your child’s condition, we can provide hearing aids, cochlear implants, and therapy.