We understand little ones need time to develop.
Children's Hearing
Why test children's hearing?
Three in every 100 children under the age of 18 experience hearing loss, to some degree. Both hearing and speech are essential tools for children to be able to learn, play and develop social skills. They learn to communicate by imitating sounds they hear. A child with an undetected and untreated hearing loss can miss a lot of the speech and language around them which may result in delayed speech or language development, social problems and academic difficulties. This is why we are passionate about paediatric audiology.
How we test kids’ hearing
Tami Mehl Audiology offers a wide range of age-appropriate testing and evaluation services for newborns, infants, toddlers and school-age children.
Click below for more information on the specific tests offered for children.
Types of hearing loss in children
There are two primary categories of hearing loss in children:
• congenital (present at birth)
• acquired (occurring after birth)
Possible causes of congenital hearing loss:
• Infections during pregnancy (German measles, toxoplasmosis and cytomegalovirus)
• Ototoxic medication used during pregnancy (medications that can damage hearing as a side effect)
• Birth complications
• Disorders of the brain or nervous system
• Genetic syndromes such as Ushers, Down’s and Waardenburg’s syndromes
• Family history of hearing loss
Possible causes of acquired hearing loss:
• Untreated middle-ear infections
• Other infections such as meningitis, mumps, measles or whooping cough
• Perforation of the eardrum
• Excessive noise such as fireworks or loud music
• Serious injury to the head
• Ototoxic medication
Frequently, hearing loss in young children is conductive (usually temporary) and maybe caused by earwax or middle ear infections. Many children with temporary hearing loss can have their hearing restored through medical treatment (such as antibiotics or cortisone) or minor surgery.
Some children have sensorineural hearing loss, which is permanent. Most of these children have some usable hearing, and children as young as four weeks of age can be fitted with hearing aids. If the child does not respond to hearing aids, a cochlear implant can be considered.