The doorbell rings
They don't look up.
For families
Hearing health · For families
Hearing loss in children.
Hearing loss in children impacts their ability to develop speech, language, and social skills at the same rate as their normal-hearing peers. The good news: in most cases, hearing problems can be remediated.
Worth noticing
Look for the moments that don't happen.
You call from the kitchen
They don't turn around.
You say their name, behind them
They don't startle.
The type and degree of hearing loss can vary, but in most cases, hearing problems can be remediated. The earlier we look, the more options your child has.
Types
Five kinds of hearing loss.
There are different types of hearing loss. Below are the five we most commonly see and treat.
Conductive
Sound is blocked somewhere along the path from the outer or middle ear to the inner ear, preventing it from being conducted normally.
Sensory
Problems with the hair cells in the inner ear prevent the cochlea from sensing sound normally.
Neural
The brain either fails to process electrical pulses or fails to interpret them correctly. Sometimes called auditory dys-synchrony.
Sensorineural
Hair-cell problems combine with distortion in how the brain processes sound. Most permanent hearing loss falls under this label, especially in young children where the exact contribution of cochlea vs brain is hard to isolate.
Mixed
A combination of conductive and sensorineural loss. Sound transmission is impaired and the inner-ear or neural systems are affected too.
What to look for
Signs to watch for.
If your child shows one or more of these signs, we recommend getting their hearing checked. None of them are diagnostic on their own, but together, they're a reason to ask.
- Frequent ear infections
- Difficulty locating sounds
- Not startled by loud sounds
- Daydreaming or withdrawing in social situations
- Speech production or understanding delayed for their age
- Babble that sounds monotonous, with no progress
Causes
What causes it, and what doesn't.
The exact cause of a child's hearing loss can be difficult to pinpoint. It can come from genes passed down by parents, an infection the mother contracted while pregnant, or treatments used to save the life of a very sick baby.
Hearing loss can occur alongside other conditions present at birth, affecting the eyes, heart, kidneys, and so on. It is not caused by foods, falls, or most illnesses during pregnancy. Often, the cause is simply unknown.
Your pediatrician can offer a fuller picture of what may be contributing in your child's case, and we work alongside their care team whenever it helps.
Why timing matters
The sooner you act, the more you give them back.
Hearing is critical to speech, language, communication, and learning. The earlier hearing loss occurs in a child's life, the more serious the effects on development. The earlier intervention begins, the less serious the ultimate impact. A delay of even a few months can cause language delays that may not be overcome.
Schedule a pediatric evaluationMost insurances accepted · Same-week appointments available
Daily life
How hearing aids fit into a child's day.
Widening the listening bubble
Hearing aids widen a child's listening bubble, sometimes enough to catch nearly all of the language going on around them. For more severe losses, they make as much speech audible as possible while other tools fill in the rest.
It's critical to be able to hear as much as possible during all waking hours, the same way you rely on light to move around confidently. Check the hearing aids at least once a day. Dead batteries or blocked ear molds can quietly shut down a learning opportunity.
Brain development happens early
Even children with minimal hearing benefit from hearing aids. The amplified sound stimulates and grows the auditory centers of the brain, and these structures develop best when a child is very young.
Research shows that a delay of even a few months after a loss has been identified can cause language delays that may not be overcome. Starting earlier is always the more generous answer.
One last thought
Your child is whole.
Brown hair, blue eyes, freckles, hearing loss. We can't predict everything about our children before they're born. Hearing loss is just as much a part of who your child is as the color of their eyes.
With acknowledgement, support, and the right tools, hearing aids are worn with the same ease as a pair of shoes, sometimes proudly, in colors that show personality. With your love and guidance, your child can do just as well as anyone else.
Dr. Engelhardt was once a pediatric patient in this very office, and grew up to become an audiologist himself. That lived experience shapes how this practice meets every parent who walks in worried, and leaves with a plan.
Schedule a consultation
Let's have a conversation about your child's hearing.
Tell us a little about what you've been noticing. We'll call you back within one business day, usually the same afternoon, to find a time that works for your family.