Hearing plays a pivotal role in learning to speak. All of us are aware that without hearing and speech it is extremely challenging for interpersonal relationships and bond to develop and subsequently thrive successfully. In olden days, kids who did not respond to acoustic stimuli and who were incapable of understanding speech or acquiring it inherently would face serious discrimination.

Until the year 1950, it was the standard policy to keep on waiting till the child who has been diagnosed with hearing loss, began speaking proficiently. Only then he would be prescribed a customized hearing aid. The underlying objective was to actually shield the child from his imperfect speech. The idea was to avoid exposing the kid with a hearing loss, to his own imperfect speech. In those days, therefore, early detection of hearing loss made no sense and seemed really superfluous as a hearing aid would not be recommended until later.

Necessity of Early Detection

Early detection of hearing loss is important. As per latest research, it has been proved that babies who are diagnosed with hearing loss early enough and who start using hearing aids and seeking assistance from early intervention agencies, as early as, when they are only six months old, may successfully develop language and start proper communication just the same way as a normal child with no hearing loss, would be doing. Get in touch with reliable hearing clinics for proper screening.

The main intention of focusing on early detection of hearing loss would be to give your child an immediate access to communication. The most crucial period for any child to get exposure to hearing and learning a language is actually the initial three years of his life. In reality, kids would be learning to speak by the time they are six months. Research has revealed that children with hearing impairment but who have got effective intervention would develop better language skills as compared to those who do not.

The earliest possible you are able to know about your child’s deafness, the better it is for you as you could ensure that your kid is benefitted from the strategies and cutting-edge techniques that would be helping him to learn to communicate. The benefit of consulting an audiologist, getting tested and diagnosed so early would be that your baby could start using hearing aids right away. The family could start to learn and use sign language or AUSLAN with the baby.

Implications of Early Detection

We must understand that hearing impairment would be interfering with human communication and language that are essential for normal development and way of life. Language is essentially the foundation of all social interactions and learning. If the hearing loss is left undetected the child’s language development is bound to get delayed and this would adversely impact his capacity to learn and effectively develop social skills.

It has already been proven through several studies that early hearing loss detection is critical to the effective development of proper language skills, psychological, and cognitive abilities. Treatment would be really effective and successful if hearing impairment is diagnosed very early probably within a month after birth.

Signs of Hearing Impairment

Hearing loss could be occurring much later in childhood, even after a newborn baby leaves the hospital. It is mandatory on the part of the family members and caregivers to constantly check for the signs of deafness in the baby. Here are some of the common signs:

• The baby does not wake up by loud noises.
• He does not react or respond to unexpected noises.
• He does not turn his head toward your voice.
• He is unable to follow instructions.
• Poor language development.
• Unable to use language skills that are natural in his age.
• Always speaking loudly.

If your baby demonstrates any one or more of these signs you must visit a hearing clinic and consult a qualified audiologist.

Screening Process

There are a couple of screening tests for determining hearing loss in newborns and infants. They are:

Auditory Brain Stem Response or ABR: Earphones would be strategically placed on the baby’s ears and then electrodes would be placed in the baby’s head and ears. The sound is thereafter, transmitted through the earphones.Simultaneously, the electrodes would be measuring accurately how your baby’s brain is responding to the sound.

Otoacoustic Emissions or OAE: This screening method would entail strategically placing a sponge earphone in your baby’s ear canal for measuring how much the ear could respond effectively to sound. In normal babies and infants a measurable echo would be generated in response to sound. If no echo has been recorded, it would indicate a hearing impairment.

Conclusion

Hearing loss in babies and infants could be permanent or temporary. It is critical to have your children assessed by specialists who could identify or rule out clinical issues triggering hearing impairment such as excessive ear wax, otitis media, genetic hearing loss, congenital malformations, etc. If after evaluation, it is understood that your kid’s issue is permanent, then an effective and affordable hearing aid would be recommended for amplifying the sound that reaches your baby’s ear. Moreover, in certain cases, an effective ear surgery could restore or remarkably improve the situation.

For free consultation on early detection of hearing loss, call or visit Vcare Hearing today!