Hearing impairment is any decrease in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s ability to perform in an educational setting. It’s also used to describe hearing loss in adults. Hearing impairment in infants and children can be difficult to identify which is why it’s important to know the signs to look out for.
Infants and toddlers
These are some common signs of hearing impairment in children 15 months old and younger. Your baby does not:
- React to loud sounds like the bang of a falling object or the crack of thunder or even people’s voices.
- Turn to or seek to detect the source of sounds.
- Respond to familiar voices.
- Feel soothed by soft vowels like drawn out oooohs and ahhhs which usually calm many fussy babies.
- Enjoy making noise. Most babies shake objects and rattle toys because they enjoy the sounds made.
- Constantly babble and make vocal noises experimenting with making a sound. It’s difficult to find a four- to a six-month-old baby that doesn’t constantly babble.
- Respond to music or vibrations.
- Follow simple instructions and directions including simple things like “come here.”
- Fluctuate their pitch. Babies who can hear enjoy the reaction by varying their pitch, such as screaming to get attention.
- Attempt to imitate and pronounce words, and their speech is delayed. They should be uttering words by about 12-15 months and saying sentences by at least two years old.
You should consult a doctor if multiple signs are present.
Older children
Here are some common signs of hearing impairment in older children. Your child:
- Seems to hear well sometimes and then not respond at other times.
- Wants the TV volume louder than other members of the family.
- Says “what?” or “huh?” more often when spoken to.
- Speaks more loudly than they previously did.
- Looks at you and listens intensely when you speak to them as if concentrating. This may be because they are depending more on visual cues to interpret speech.
- Repeatedly says they didn’t hear you.
- Is easily frustrated or experiences communication breakdowns.
- Leans one year forward when listening or says something like they hear better from their “good year.”
- Is falling behind with speech and communication.
- Grades are failing and their teacher notes that they do not seem to hear or respond as well as other students in the classroom.
- Is exhausted at the end of the school day from concentrating to understand speech.
You should consult a doctor if multiple signs are present.
Tips for parents
If your child is diagnosed with hearing impairment, here are some things to help you and your child come to terms with the situation.
- Accept your child as they are. This will help them accept themselves and positively impact their self-confidence.
- Teach them a fun and informative way to answer questions about their hearing impairment and assistive devices they may be using.
- Inform their siblings and other family members about the hearing impairment in a straightforward manner.
- Enroll yourself, your child and other family members in sign language classes.
- Check with your child to see if they are experiencing bullying and address any concerns that arise.
- Consider speaking to an audiologist, speech pathologist, and education consultant to stay ahead of your child’s needs.
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