Your Local Hearing Center and Concerned Parents

Infants and children dealing with hearing loss are known as hard of hearing unless there is a discernable physical breakdown or lack of inner ear components that determine them to be deaf. The key to helping parents of children who are hard of hearing is to direct them to their nearest hearing center where the resource abound can help them find the information and support that they need to stay calm, proactive, and helpful throughout their child's trying diagnosis and device fitting (if applicable).

For any disorder, disability or disease early detection is critical to successful intervention down the road. When it comes to children being born deaf or with hearing loss the initial birth testing at infancy before leaving the hospital is a great indication of the status of the child's hearing abilities thereafter. Doctors understand that waiting can only harm interaction, connection, and certain aspects of development. Therefore, if some of the hearing can be restored due to early detection and proactive medicine then both the parent and child can be put at ease. For parents who find themselves caring for a child with hearing loss, a hearing center is an ideal place to begin their education and plan construction for how they can communicate with and help their child through the emotional and social implications of growing up hard of hearing.

When hearing tests are postponed both the child and the parent suffers because the fear of what is happening can mount. For the child it can be as long as two or three years before they receive the intervention they need to improve their auditory experiences in life. For the parent(s) they just know that something is not quite right because their small child is non-responsive to loud sounds, someone calling their name, or the vocal sound that they make become less and less.

The child can even exhibit physical signs of a serious issue such as rubbing their ear(s), being irritable, inattentive, a fever, not understanding directions, or asking for the radio or television volume to be raised. Any of these signs on a consistent basis are valid reasons to make an appointment with your general physician for a basic examination that is followed up by a referral for an ear, nose and throat specialist and a hearing center's audiologist who can determine the cause and help to find a solution for lasting relief for the child's condition and the parent's mounting concern.