Growing up with hearing loss

Children with hearing loss frequently experience special difficulties in their social and academic development, particularly children who lost their hearing early in life. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the academic gap between children with hearing loss and other children widens as school becomes more difficult and advanced.

It is imperative that parents employ the help of an intervention professional to set their child up for success. A specialist can work on a child’s academic and social development, the latter being key because many children with hearing loss feel isolated from their peers, especially if the child does not know many other children with hearing loss.

The good news is that research shows children with hearing loss who get help very early in life can develop language skills at the same level as their peers. The important thing is to start seeing a specialist as soon as possible and involve the entire family in the program. Talk to your True Dental Discounts hearing plan audiologist to find out more information on child hearing loss – timing is critical.

Nurture your baby’s language and hearing skills

It is well-documented that young children learn to speak by listening. And as a parent, you play an integral role in helping your child develop proper speech and language skills – through interactive conversations, repetition, and example. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends several helpful strategies to stimulate your baby’s brain:

• Talk constantly: Tell your baby where you’re going, what you’re doing, what you’re touching, what you’re seeing.
• Elaborate on words your baby uses. If she says “mama,” use it in several different sentences to help her understand context.
• Ask questions: “What’s this?”, “What do you see?”, “Is that a puppy or a kitty?”
• Be expressive. Change the inflection of your voice to indicate a question or excitement. This helps the baby learn tonal distinctions in our language.
• Use gestures. Waving, clapping, and signaling all help you convey your message.
• Reinforce your baby’s attempts at communicating. Repeat the sounds they make and teach them some of your own using consonant-based syllables like “ba” and “da.”

The first two years of your child’s life is a critical time in his language development. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s hearing or speech, talk to an audiologist on your True Dental Discounts, hearing plan. He or she can evaluate your child and test for any possible hearing loss. The earlier hearing loss is discovered, the quicker a child can begin learning.

What is behavioral observation audiometry?

The critical impact of hearing loss on a child’s ability to communicate means it is essential to identify any existing problems at the earliest age possible. One method of identifying hearing loss in infants up to 7 months of age is known as behavioral observation audiometry. Conducted by a specially trained audiologist, these observations involve scrutinizing a child’s behavior when presented with a variety of sounds.

Noises made by chimes, bells, scrunched cellophane, and other objects are used during the test, and the child is then monitored for any change in behavior. The audiologist will look for behavioral responses like awakening from sleep, startling, widening of the eyes, bodily movement and turning of the head. Even changes in breathing patterns or the rate a child sucks on a pacifier can be signs of sound perception. Although these tests often present immediate and compelling results, it is important to conduct them in concurrence with other auditory tests.

The sooner a child’s hearing loss is identified, the less chance he or she has of experiencing a delay in learning or communicating. For this reason, it is important to schedule an appointment with an audiologist who can help you rule out or more closely investigate any issues with your child’s hearing. By using your True Dental Discounts membership, you can get significant savings on high-quality care.

Solutions for hearing loss around the home

Most of us take for granted that we can talk to someone over the phone and open the door when we hear the door bell chime. But for people with hearing loss, these tasks are not so simple. Fortunately, technology has now made it possible for hard-of-hearing people to “hear” the door bell and other alerts in the home, as well as carry on a conversation over the phone. For instance, telephone amplifiers can be coupled with a person’s hearing aid to improve the person’s ability to hear a caller.

For people who still cannot hear well enough for a conversation, they can use Voice Carry Over, which is used with a telephone relay service. In these cases, the operator translates what the other person is saying by converting their words to text on a screen. When it comes to “hearing” the door bell, people can install systems that pick up the signal and cause lights to flash, fans to spin, or a small device to vibrate. The same goes for sleeping alarms, fire alarms, and more. Talk to your True Dental Discounts hearing specialist about the best options for your home to find out more information.