Why earliest intervention

Our ears are filled with music of our child’s first talk and our heart tries to retain the memory of that sound. But imagine a situation where all you hear is “silence”.  Hearing loss in children can impair normal development of speech & language, his emotional balance and academic & intellectual skills. Profound hearing loss can lead to dumbness which can be avoided.

From birth to 3 years of age are very important for a child to learn speaking, so early detection and intervention is very important .Babies should be screened for hearing at birth especially high risk ones. Child with mild hearing loss is generally labeled as inattentive or slow learner. But care for your kid and try to find out if he is hearing normally. Hearing should be tested as child grows at any time on slightest suspicion of hearing deficit by Parents, care givers, teachers and family doctors.

Simple observation at home :

• Birth to 3 months; Child startle to loud sound
• 3-6 month;   turns eyes or head toward sound
• 6-12 months; listen attentively to familiar sound, respond to name, imitate some sound & few words like bye-bye
• 15-24 months follow simple commands. Repeat phrases.

When to visit a Specialist, warning sign :

• Delayed mile stones/speech
• Kid isolating / irritable
• Difficulty in following verbal instructions
• Ask for repetition of sentence/word
• Difficulty listening in noisy surroundings
• Turn-up volume of T.V./Radio
• Have academic problem
• Have repeated ear infections
• Feel blockage of ears 

On slightest doubt child should be seen by an Ear-Nose-Throat (ENT) specialist for thorough examination and determination of cause of hearing impairment. Conductive hearing loss is largely preventable and can be managed by medicine/surgery. Audiologist may perform tests to assess degree & type of hearings loss.

Management of hearing impairment:-

Types of hearing-loss :

Conductive; when sound is blocked to reach inner ear. Causes may be Wax, Foreign body, allergy, fluid in the middle ear, repeated ear infection, perforation of ear drum. Usually it can be prevented and managed by medicine/surgery.

Sensorineural; Damage to nerves of hearing or inner ear. May be present at birth or may develop after some fever, ototoxic medication, loud noise, head or ear injury, tumors. Usually it is permanent and need rehabilitation in the form of hearing-aids or cochlear implants.

Management of deaf child is a team effort. Fitting of hearing aid should be considered as soon as deafness severe enough to impede natural speech development is diagnosed. Fitting should be done by experts with wide experience in the field for this age group. Auditory training, speech therapy and psychological counselling are required along with supportive handling by parents, family and a teacher.

Hearing-Aids :

Hearing-Aids are instruments to amplify the sound so that you hear well.

Hearing aid should be customized & fitted as per individual children’s need.

They come in several shapes & sizes:-Behind the ear, In the ear, In the canal, completely in the canal.

Digital hearing aids are example of advancing technology in the field and known for greater precision. They convert sound wave and modify the sound to provide clear amplified signal, so noise discomfort can be avoided. Some hearing aids have special characteristics like Direction setting, Telephone setting,, F.M. technology.

Cochlear-implant :

Child with profound haring loss who can not be helped by hearing aids may be considered for cochlear-implant.