Hearing loss is not just for aging and older people anymore. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine 1 in 5 Americans, age 12 and over, has a hearing loss significant enough to interfere with daily communication. Vigilance and awareness of risk factors are ways for parents to help their children preserve hearing, a most precious sense.
1. Be an effective teacher: Learn about ears and hearing
Parents are the primary teachers for their kids. In order to keep a watchful eye on children’s hearing abilities and to teach them how to maintain their hearing, parents must know some basic facts. As they grow older, children – and particularly teens – become more discriminatory in what they accept or reject when it comes to information. This is why adults must to be able to make their case in a convincing way.
2. Be mindful of ear-related symptoms
If ears are red, hurt, itch, drain or ooze or if there are indications that a child might not hear well, it is time to get a professional opinion. However, unless there is also a fever parents may delay seeking advice because physicians no longer prescribe antibiotics as liberally as they once did. But are antibiotics actually needed? There are many causes for ear-related symptoms, which include among others inflammation due to earwax or foreign-body blockage, physical trauma, allergies, pressure resulting from fluid build-up, bacterial and viral infections or even middle-ear growths. This shows that diagnostic and treatment decisions are best left to pediatricians and specialists trained in ear and hearing disorders.
3. Do not ignore hearing loss symptoms
Every parent breathes a sigh of relief when a baby passes the newborn hearing tests required by state Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) laws. Although such evaluations are a big step in the right direction for identifying children who are born with hearing loss, researchers at the University of Pittsburg tell us that they are not perfect. Parents and doctors should not be lulled into a false sense of security. For reasons not well understood, children who pass the tests can be found with hearing loss or even deafness in early childhood. Are genetics at work? Is the hearing loss the result of an infection, head trauma or of an underlying undiagnosed condition? Were the original passing scores incorrect?
It is important for all parents to watch out for hearing-loss symptoms in their children. Early intervention is crucial for a child to develop speech, language and communication skills equal to those of their hearing peers as they enter school. Hearing loss telltale signs include: The child does not respond when called; is not startled by loud sound; is more responsive when facing the speaker; shows speech and language delays; has trouble pronouncing words or learning new words; has unclear or monotonous speech; seems often socially unengaged; sits by him/herself a lot… A consult with an ear specialist and a set of diagnostic hearing tests are needed if there are any suspicions that a child might have hearing issues.
4. Turn down the volume
Excess noise is poison to the ears. It causes oxidative damage to the inner-ear hearing cells and ages them way before their time. Specialists talk about permanent noise-induced hearing loss, which affects young people and even children in increasing numbers. The sad part of the story is that noise-induced hearing loss is entirely preventable. Beware of personal entertainment gadgets as listening too long at volumes that are too loud will eventually spell trouble. Also, how loud is the home entertainment center? How about noisy toys? The sad truth is that many children have their first ear-damaging noise exposures in their own homes where they should be safe.
5. Lead by example
Children are very observant. Demonstrate responsible listening habits by paying attention to volume settings on your own MP3 players; by using ear protection when working with power tools or power machinery and by setting the record straight that “loud” does not equal fun but that it can lead to ear damage and why.
Monique Hammond
