Aural rehabilitation for children
Hearing loss in children is a critical concern that demands prompt and specialized attention. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential for a child's language and social skills development. Our team of expert speech and language therapists, as well as audiologists, assesses the situation and customizes hearing rehabilitation programs to cater to each child's specific needs.
I cannot hear well - What does it mean?
Hearing loss in children is not just a normal situation like in adults.
If a child does not respond as expected to the parents' voice, turns up the volume on the TV or has difficulty articulating words, it may be a hearing problem.
Such a condition can affect the child's language development, interaction with other children and the child's overall quality of life. Often, children are unable to express their discomfort or explain their condition, making early diagnosis even more important.
In such cases, an immediate specialist evaluation is necessary to confirm the existence of hearing loss and determine the extent of hearing loss.
What are the causes of childhood hearing loss?
Many factors may cause hearing loss in infants and children in the first years of life.
The main prenatal causes It has:
- Heredity (even if there appears to be no family history)
- Complications during pregnancy
- Infections of the pregnant woman during pregnancy (eg rubella, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis)
- Genetic syndromes (eg Ushers, Alport, Crouzon)
The main postnatal causes It has:
- Premature birth with a weight of less than 1500 grams
- Complications during delivery (eg acute labor, stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, severe jaundice, oxygen therapy)
- Infections of the newborn (eg meningitis, measles, mumps)
- Frequent and repeated ear infections
- Exposure to very loud noises, even for a short period of time
What are the signs of childhood hearing loss?
Early detection of hearing problems is vital because children learn to communicate by imitating the sounds they hear. The most critical period for children's speech and language development is mainly before the age of 4 years. Therefore, it is particularly important to recognize any signs of hearing loss in time.
An infant during the first year shows some characteristic behaviors related to hearing:
- He is startled or jerked at the sound of a sudden sound.
- Recognizes the voice of his parents by the age of 3 months.
- Turning the eyes or head in the direction of the sound at 6 months of age.
- He imitates sounds or even pronounces some words, such as "Mummy" or "bye-bye" at 12 months of age.
The main signs of an infant who may be experiencing hearing loss are:
- Limited or complete absence of speech
- Frequent carelessness and other learning difficulties
- Failure to fully respond to a conversation or inappropriate response to a question.
Children of preschool or school age who are experiencing hearing loss have the following indications:
- Increase the intensity of the TV too much
- They don't respond when someone calls them or respond inappropriately to queries
- Have joint problems or are delayed in speaking
- Facing learning problems
- They watch others to imitate what they do
- Complaining of ear pain or noises in the head
The importance of preventive care for children's hearing
Early detection, timely and accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of hearing loss is crucial for both speech and language development and the psychosocial development of children.
Infants should be examined soon after birth. If your child has not had such a test, it is important that you contact them
Center for Preventive Paediatrics
to schedule a hearing screening.
Early diagnosis and proper treatment of hearing loss for an infant is crucial because if diagnosis is delayed, problems with learning and speech may occur. Many studies report that children with hearing loss who receive early support develop better language skills than other children who do not receive appropriate support.
It is also important to consider the stress and discomfort felt by both the child with hearing loss and his/her family, as the child is unable to understand why he/she has difficulty learning simple things and the family cannot understand why their child's low school performance is so poor.
In some cases, hearing problems in children who have had an infection, trauma or been exposed to harmful levels of noise do not occur immediately but later in childhood.
Early detection and diagnosis of hearing loss is important for a child's development. The next equally important step is the treatment of hearing loss with the ultimate goal of better development of the language skills, knowledge and social integration of the hearing impaired child. Depending on the degree and size of the hearing loss, speech therapy may be needed for the child's full and faster development.
The Path to Restoration
At DR GEORGE Hearing Centres, the world of children facing hearing challenges is transformed through specialized care and the technological solutions.such as the hearing aids we offer. The prevention and treatment of childhood hearing loss starts with early detection, and this is where the active involvement and information of parents plays a crucial role.
The hearing aids we offer are specially designed to meet the unique needs of children at every stage of their development. They are durable, easy to use and easily adapt to a child's active lifestyle, providing the best possible hearing experience at all times of the day. With the use of hearing aids, children can explore, learn and communicate more effectively, enabling them to develop their language, social and academic skills.
At the same time, our team offers full support and education to parents on the correct use, maintenance and fitting of hearing aids, as well as advice on how to successfully integrate hearing aids into their child's daily life. The special programs we develop for children and their families aim to create an environment that encourages self-confidence and independence.
Hear life with us!
At DR GEORGE Hearing Centers, we have created an environment with the appropriate infrastructure and technical equipment to provide services and personalized hearing care for all ages.
