Toddlers may experience hearing loss anytime from birth through childhood. It can be genetic or acquired – even children without a history of hearing problems may develop it.
Signs to look for in children
Hearing loss may be different for every child. They could develop hearing problems later on in their life. Some signs are as follows:
- They may not normally react to sounds, or they may not be startled by a sudden noise
- Difficulty in following directions
- Falling behind in speech and communication
- May show signs of behavioral problems such as anxiety or irritability
- Easily distracted
- Difficulties in school or sudden shifts in an academic undertaking
- Listening to audio devices a little louder than usual
Babies’ signs may be:
- Unreactive to normal sounds
- Not easily startled by loud noises
- Not able to find the source of sound (not moving towards the sound)
- Speech delay
- Cannot use correct speech sounds
If you are worried about your baby’s or toddler’s hearing, it is better to consult your pediatrician immediately. Hearing tests are painless and simple. It can be performed while they are asleep.
A Hearing Test, called an auditory evaluation, is done by an audiologist trained in testing the hearing. There are different types of tests:
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test or brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test.
- Otoacoustic emissions (OAE)
- Behavioral audiometry evaluation
Audiologists can’t stress enough the importance of the hearing test, especially the one requiring you to be in a good treatment facility for the test. An inaccurate hearing test result could lead to an erroneous hearing aid fitting resulting in over or under amplification, which can harm the hearing levels of your children. The Listening Lab will guide you in their hearing journey – especially for younger children and babies.
The Listening Lab, a leading hearing care clinic in Singapore, has been offering quality hearing care services to hearing loss patients, including a professional hearing test. For your hearing test needs, please feel free to contact us or visit our hearing centres in Singapore.
Cochlear Implant Singapore is also already ready to help should a cochlear implant be more appropriate to your child over hearing aids. For more details on this option, please send your questions over to the website’s contact form or book for an appointment here.