Hearing Loss

What is hearing loss?

Having a hearing loss means being hard of hearing or having a hearing difficulty. It can affect one or both ears. The amount can range anywhere from mild hearing difficulty to complete deafness. Children may be born with hearing loss – it is the most common birth defect -- or can develop it at any point in life. It can be permanent or temporary.

There are two main types of hearing loss in children:

• Conductive: This type is the most common in babies and young children. It occurs when something is blocking sound from traveling through the ear, such as earwax buildup, an infection or a punctured eardrum. This type of hearing loss can sometimes be treated with medicine or surgery.
• Sensorineural: This type of hearing loss is caused when the inner ear or auditory nerve is not formed correctly or is damaged. This type of hearing loss is almost always permanent.

A child’s hearing abilities can affect their communication, academics and relationships. Identifying hearing loss and getting hearing aids (if needed) and/or other services early on can significantly reduce these challenges.

What are the signs and symptoms of hearing loss?

Symptoms of hearing loss in children can vary from child to child. The symptoms can also vary depending on your child’s age.

The symptoms of hearing loss in babies may include:

• Not startling at sounds
• Not responding to sounds
• Not looking when you call their name
• Appearing to hear some sounds, but not others
• Cannot say simple words by age 1

Symptoms of hearing loss in children may include:

• Delayed speech or speech that is not clear
• Often asks to repeat what was said
• Turning up the TV volume loud
• Not following directions
• Frequently needing to be close to someone or looking directly at them to hear what is being said
• May appear to hear, but not retain the information later (at school or home)
• May appear shy or withdrawn in the classroom or with peers

What causes hearing loss?

Hearing loss in children can have many possible causes, depending on type.

Conductive hearing loss is caused by something blocking sound from traveling to the inner ear. Common causes of conductive hearing loss in children can include:

• Ear infection
• Allergies or colds
• Too much ear wax
• Other types of blockages in the ear

Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by a problem with how well the inner ear senses sound. It is something a child can be born with or develop later. Common causes of sensorineural hearing loss in children include the following. Sometimes, the cause is not identified.

• Genetics (even if there is no family history of hearing loss)
• Exposure to loud noises
• Causes related to prematurity and NICU care, such as low birth weight, infection, or long-term ventilator use
• Head trauma

How is hearing loss treated?

Treatment for hearing loss depends type and severity. Your care team at Arkansas Children’s is experienced in treating all types of hearing loss in children and will work with you to come up with the best plan for your child! We see that when the right supports are in place, our hard of hearing kids can lead fun, full lives. They learn to talk, sign, sing and play music. They can succeed in school, play sports and pursue higher education if they wish. They have a wide variety of careers as adults.

Treatments and resources can include:

• Medications to treat ear infection or allergies
• Hearing aids to amplify sounds
• Cochlear implants, which are surgically implanted that send sounds right to the hearing nerve
• Auditory brainstem implant, another implanted device that directly stimulates hearing pathways in the brain (available out of state only at this time)
• Learning American sign language (ASL) or lip reading
• Connecting families to community-based, parent-to-parent support and additional early intervention systems as needed