Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss in Children
- Difficulty locating sounds.
- A child who does not get startled by loud sounds.
- Inability to produce and understand spoken words.
- Frequent ear infections, head colds & running nose, pulling at ears.
- Often asks you to repeat yourself or responds inappropriately to a question
- Doesn't reply when you call them
- Often talks very loudly
- Turns up the volume of the TV so it's very loud
Signs & Symptoms of Hearing Loss in Adults
- Difficulty hearing on the telephone.
- Difficulty hearing when there is background noise.
- The feeling that people are mumbling or do not speak clearly.
- The need to turn up the television volume.
- Ringing sounds in the ears.
- Asking others to speak more slowly,
clearly and loudly - Withdrawal from conversations
- Avoidance of some social settings
Hearing Loss in Children
Normal hearing is essential for the social and intellectual development of infants and young children.
Children with hearing loss may have difficulty learning to communicate because they cannot hear all or part of the sounds around them.
Thus, the sooner a child has his/her hearing tested the sooner the problem can be identified and remedied and start to live a normal life.
Hearing Loss in Adults
For adults, hearing problems can make it difficult to understand and follow a doctor's advice, to respond to warnings, or to hear doorbells, telephones and alarms. Hearing loss can also make it difficult to communicate with friends and family. The impact of hearing loss affects not only the individual with the hearing loss but also the lives of those around them. The effects of hearing loss can be frustrating, embarrassing, or even dangerous.
What causes hearing loss
For some people, the cause of hearing loss is the result of a gradual buildup of earwax, which blocks the ear canal and prevents conduction of sound waves. Earwax blockage is a cause of hearing loss among people of all ages. A visit to the Audiologist can detect the presence or absence of wax in your ears.
Most hearing loss results from damage to the cochlea. Tiny hairs in the cochlea may break or become bent, and nerve cells may degenerate. When the nerve cells or the hairs are damaged or missing, electrical signals aren’t transmitted as efficiently, and hearing loss occurs. Higher pitched tones may become muffled to you. It may become difficult for you to pick out words against background noise