As a parent, we encourage you to be familiar with possible signs of hearing loss in your children and to contact our Audiologist in Beamsville (Niagara) if you have any questions at all.
There are a number of potential causes for hearing loss in a child.
Congenital hearing loss, a condition at birth, can be caused by genetic factors, but it also can be caused by other things, like an infection during pregnancy, prematurity, injury at birth, and other health conditions.
Acquired hearing loss (after birth) can result from various causes – including viral and bacterial infections like meningitis or the measles, frequent ear infections, a head injury, or exposure to very loud noises.
The vast majority of newborns will receive a hearing screening before discharge from the hospital. While these screening tests can detect 80 to 90 percent of infants with moderate degrees of hearing loss and greater, it is important to understand that no screening test is perfect.
Children with mild hearing loss may pass newborn hearing screenings, and hearing screenings for newborns cannot identify children with late onset or progressive types of hearing loss.
It is especially important, therefore, that you monitor your child’s developmental milestones with regular hearing screenings as they grow. Many professionals recommend that school-aged children receive hearing screenings:
Signs of hearing loss to watch for in a child include:
Only an audiologist is legally allowed to provide testing on children or anyone under the age of 18. If you'd like to schedule a consultation, please complete the form below or contact us by phone.