Your child performing poor in school! You may have to visit an ENT specialist and Audiologist for his Hearing Test. Even a slight hearing loss in a child is often a reason behind poor performance in class.

1. Hearing Loss in Children
Poor performance in school! Could it be hearing loss?
Your child performing poor in school! You may have to visit an ENT specialist and Audiologist for his
Hearing Test. Even a slight hearing loss in a child is often a reason behind poor performance in class.
Hearing loss doesn’t essentially mean
complete inability to hear. It may be slight
hearing disorder, only one sided hearing
loss, conductive loss caused by recurrent
ear infections or problem with sensory
auditory processing skills (where even
hearing tests may show normal hearing)
Most parents and teacher may not be
aware of Spectrum of pediatric hearing loss
and many years can pass before a student is diagnosed and treated. Sometimes it will be taken as
attention deficit disorder or normal childhood behaviour or ignorance.
Even mild hearing loss can compromise communication skills and school performance.
Specific effects of Hearing Loss on children-
 Children with untreated hearing loss may have lower self esteem, they have tendency to isolate
themselves and there is lack of class participation.
Have difficulty in understanding complex sentences.
 There could also be slow vocabulary development and Problem with sentence structure as compare
to children with normal hearing. Children may have unclear speech and their speech may be difficult
to understand.
 Treatment Of Hearing Loss-ENT Specialist can treat some types of hearing loss, (conductive hearing
disorder which involves outer or middle ear). Such as most ear fluid and Ear infections are managed

2. with medication or simple surgery to drain the fluid out from middle ear by putting tiny
tubes/grommets.
For other types of hearing loss (Sensorineural hearing loss) Hearing aid or cochlear implant, Bone
Anchored hearing aids are provided which does not cure hearing loss but may help a child
Children who received early intervention at 6 month of age have been shown years later to have
language skills similar to those of children of the same age who have normal hearing.
Knowing early regarding childhood hearing loss and initiating early treatment- medical, surgical or use
of hearing aids /cochlear implants are critical for the development of speech, language, and
communication skills in children with hearing loss and shown to increase school performance.
Even mild hearing loss can compromise academic performance. And You should visit an ENT
specialist to find out condition of external and middle ear and an audiologist for hearing test and to
manage hearing problems.
To know more information, Visit:
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