You probably have a lot of questions and worries if your baby or toddler has recently been diagnosed with hearing loss. It's natural to feel nervous and overwhelmed, but there are various treatment and adaptation alternatives available, both at home and at school.
The most important thing to remember is that hearing capacity aids in the development of a child's speech and language skills. To minimize the impact of hearing loss on your child's schooling, it's vital to ensure that her hearing loss is managed appropriately. In addition to that you can purchase high quality hearing aids in Sri Lanka or digital hearing online in Sri Lanka while checking the hearing aids batteries online in Sri Lanka.
In fact, evidence shows that addressing hearing loss before a newborn reaches the age of six months improves speech and language outcomes substantially more than treating it later. Hearing aids have also been shown to improve school achievement in children with hearing loss.
Childhood hearing loss
Depending on the findings of the hearing test, a kid may be diagnosed with hearing loss if they can't hear noises below a specific volume level in either one ear (known as unilateral) or both ears (bilateral). The most basic threshold is usually approximately 15 to 20 decibels (dB), which is roughly equivalent to the sound of leaves rustling of people whispering.
Even while hearing leaves rustle is considered a mild form of hearing loss, it will make it more difficult to understand some parts of the conversation. That's why treating hearing loss in children is so important because they begin acquiring language as soon as they are born.
But that's only a beginning point. Mild hearing loss (they can't hear sounds below 25-40 dB), moderate (41-60 dB), severe (61-80 dB), and profound (81+ dB) are all possible in children. Deafness that prevents you from hearing almost all sounds is known as profound deafness.
Hearing loss is characterized by a loss of both volume (measured in dB) and pitch (or frequency) (measured in Hertz). Some youngsters, for example, may have trouble hearing high-pitched sounds but not low-pitched sounds, a condition known as high-frequency hearing loss. A child with mild high-frequency hearing loss will be unable to understand most speech, but will be able to hear a helicopter from miles away without difficulty.
Some people suffer from low-frequency hearing loss, while others suffer from “flat” hearing loss, which means they have trouble hearing noises at all pitches, from low to high. Hearing loss is distinct and highly variable, as you can see, which is why customized hearing aids are so crucial since they can be tailored to a child's exact pattern of hearing loss.
It's crucial to know the degree of hearing loss in each ear, as well as what pitches are more difficult for them to hear, to completely comprehend your child's hearing loss.
There are a variety of estimates depending on the institution collecting the data, but hearing loss in children is pretty frequent. According to one national survey, roughly 15% of children and teenagers experience hearing loss, however, most cases are minor and affect just one ear. Hearing loss that is more severe is less prevalent.
On the first day or two following birth, hospitals do normal newborn hearing screenings. If a newborn displays evidence of infant hearing loss, a second screening is normally arranged a few weeks later. However, neonates who pass both hearing tests may develop evidence of hearing loss as they grow older.
Congenital hearing loss occurs when a baby is born with a hearing loss. Hearing loss can be caused by a variety of factors, but it's not always feasible to pinpoint the exact cause. The etiology of nearly half of all instances is genetic—that is, inherited from a parent.
Congenital hearing loss can be caused by a number of genetic reasons, including:
Autosomal recessive hearing loss is the most common kind of genetic congenital hearing loss, accounting for approximately 70% of all cases of genetic hearing loss. This means that neither parent has a hearing loss, but each parent possesses a recessive gene that the child inherits. When a kid is born with this form of hearing loss, parents are sometimes taken aback because most people are unaware they have the recessive gene.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, autosomal dominant hearing loss accounts for around 15% of all genetic hearing losses (ASHA). In autosomal dominant hearing loss, one parent with a dominant hearing loss gene passes it on to their children. This parent may or may not have hearing loss, but other symptoms or signs of a genetic condition may be present.
Usher syndrome, Treacher Collins syndrome, Waardenburg syndrome, Down syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, and Alport syndrome are examples of genetic syndromes. More about hearing loss and unusual disorders.
Complications during delivery, such as herpes, rubella, CMV, toxoplasmosis, or another dangerous infection; a lack of oxygen; or the need for a blood transfusion.
The delivery of a child too soon. Hearing loss is more likely in babies who are born with a birth weight of fewer than 3 pounds or who require certain life-sustaining medicines for breathing due to prematurity.
The mother's usage of medications that induce hearing loss during pregnancy. Ototoxic medicines, also known as antibiotics and various pain relievers, are commonly recommended pharmaceuticals. Ototoxic medicines have the potential to harm a fetus' auditory nerve or other hearing structures.
