There are many hereditary and post birth conditions that could cause hearing loss in children. Some go undetected while others are very apparent and sometimes can even be predicted before birth, such as if one or both parents have hearing loss. It is most likely to occur in the unborn child.
Hearing is an essential element for healthy speech growth of a young child in terms of learning to talk and interact appropriately. If the child cannot hear adequately then, their speech will be hindered, and speech problems will occur.
Before a newborn leaves the hospital, they will receive a hearing screening that could detect hearing loss with up to ninety percent accuracy.Even though these tests are pretty accurate, no auditory test is perfect, so continued screenings should occur several times as the child grows.
Causes of Hereditary and Gestational Hearing Loss
Hereditary or congenital hearing loss could be caused by numerous factors during the gestation period of the child. If the mother had an infection during her pregnancy, such as German Measles and toxoplasmosis or if she were taking certain medications such as ototoxic medication, cisplatin or even aspirin, this could cause gestational hearing loss.
Complications during the birth that could cause hearing loss could be the presents of rubella or herpes in the mother or the baby required neonatal respiratory requirements or blood transfusions. The newborn may haveDown syndrome or brain or nervous system problems at birth, or there is simply a hereditary hearing loss problem such as autosomal recessive or dominant hearing loss or X factor hearing loss that was passed down to the newborn.
Acquired Hearing Loss
After birth, there are several different hearing loss problems that could arise during the growth and development of the child. Young children’s Eustachian tubes are almost horizontal causing fluid to back up and cause Otitis Media, which is the inflammation and build of fluid in the middle ear which is the area behind the ear drum and is the most common cause of ear infections in young children.
Other infections such as meningitis, measles and mumps could cause hearing loss, along with other diseases and conditions such as otosclerosis and chicken pox. The presence of constant loud noises or the perforation of the eardrum, along with head injuries, could also cause an acquired hearing loss.
Constant attention needs to be put towards different hearing loss conditions that could occur in younger children because sometimes the symptoms are not that apparent. Paying attention to special cues such as the child pulling at the ears, inattention when talked to or needing the television or radio to be louder than usual could all be signs that your child has acquired hearing loss in one or both ears. If you need help contact your pediatrician or get in contact with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Action Center.
