It goes without saying that hearing is absolutely essential to a child’s development. It is amazing to think that even when in the womb, a child can begin to recognise certain sounds such as their mother’s heartbeat. Then, from birth, children begin to develop skills and knowledge from speech and environmental sounds around them. It is easy to take our hearing skills for granted, but they make even the simplest of tasks easier and hearing is a key sense for personal development as a child.
A steep learning curve
It is interesting to note that children depend on sound even more so than an adult would because they’re on such a steep learning curve. From the day they are born, they have to learn how to do everything; walk, eat, express their emotions, speak, reading, writing, academic learning, social skills, the list could go on and on. Evidently, learning is a lot easier if you can hear what is being taught. Poor hearing also affects the ability to “overhear” which aids development through incidental learning.
Exhaustion
Being unable to hear, or struggling to hear, can result in a child becoming very tired quickly due to the added effort they need to put in to make sense of the world. Social interaction with their peers can also be adversely affected if they are struggling to understand what is going on.
The most common signs of hearing loss in children
As long as a hearing loss is identified early, then solutions (such as hearing aids) can be put in place to ensure that a child can continue with their development as normally as possible. If you have any concerns about your child’s hearing then we recommend seeking the assistance of a hearing care professional or your GP as soon as possible. There are some common signs of hearing loss you can look out for in your child
- Cannot follow sound and the direct it’s come from
- Does not respond when spoken to
- Failure to understand questions or cannot answer appropriately
- Inattentive to the situation
- Struggles in social settings
- Could “act out” in frustration
- Poor academic performance
- Turning up the volume on different devices often
It’s really important to try and identify a hearing loss as soon as possible so that treatment can be started. All babies are offered a hearing test after their birth but the hearing loss could potentially begin at a later stage.
If you have any doubts about your child’s hearing at all, it is also best to get them checked as soon as possible. If you need any further advice, be sure to get in touch.
