Identifying Students with Hearing Problems

Hearing loss can occur at any age and is the most common birth defect in the United States. Though
there are now systems in place to recognize children born with hearing loss, but school age children
who develop hearing loss can go undiagnosed.

Childhood hearing loss is sometimes misdiagnosed as ADD, or even dismissed because the
hearing loss occurs unilaterally, only in one ear.

Speech Problems: If a child says words incorrectly, has delays in language and communication, feels
more comfortable with gestures, these could be signs that your child is not hearing everything said or
not processing sound in the correct way. Note: A lisp is not typically associated with hearing loss and
is a relatively common speech disorder.

Inattentive: Parents of young children often complain that they don’t answer when called, so how
can you tell the difference between “selective” hearing or a genuine hearing problem? The key is in
consistency. If a child hears and responds to you a majority of the time, then they may have “tuned”
you out on the one occasion they did not respond. But if in addition to repeatedly not answering your
calls or responding to things you have said, the child often looks confused when asked a question,
seems slow to answer, answers incorrectly or then asks to have things repeated, you could be seeing
the first signs of a problem. Asking “What?” more than is typical or if a child needs to be looking
directly at you in order to hear--this might indicate they are reading lips, may also be signs of hearing
loss.

Hires Volume: If your child hires the volume on the television, radio, or computer too high, this
could be a sound of hearing loss. Also a child that speaks in a higher volume than most children is
also a sign of hearing loss. Children with unilateral hearing loss are often accused of being loud. This
is important, because hearing loss in one ear can be harder to spot as the hearing ear sometimes
masks, though it does not compensate for, childhood hearing loss. Studies show unilateral hearing
loss can cause the same delays and cognitive problems as hearing loss in both ears.

Not Following Directions: If a child seems confused by directions, brings the wrong item, responds
in a way that makes no sense, or consistently asks for things to be repeated he or she could have
childhood hearing loss. Children with hearing loss often confuse what is being told to them. That
means they have difficulty with language. They can also have issues with speech—how they express
themselves. For a clearer understanding on the difference between speech and language, this is how
it is described by kidshealth.org:
• Speech is the verbal expression of language and includes articulation, which is the way sounds and
words are formed.
• Language is much broader and refers to the entire system of expressing and receiving information in
a way that's meaningful. It's understanding and being understood through communication — verbal,
nonverbal, and written

Learning Difficulties: Is your child having learning problems in school? Has the teacher complained
that he or she is not paying attention? Does the teacher mention the child appears to not listen,
ignores directions, or seems unable to keep up with the conversation? According to the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association, “Children who are hard of hearing will find it much more
difficult than children who have normal hearing to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic
expressions, and other aspects of verbal communication.”

Social Withdrawal: Often times children with hearing loss avoid social situations, sports, parties and
family events. These get-togethers can cause a feeling of being overwhelmed by his or her inability to
communicate and understand. Sadly if a child has hearing loss and is asked why they avoid these
situations, they might not know. To them their hearing loss is normal, so the child remains unaware
that they are not hearing at the same level as everyone else.

In addition to these signs, parents must also learn not to ignore their instinct when it comes to
childhood hearing loss, especially if the alarm continues to sound despite recent school testing of your
child. School is not the place to have your child’s hearing tested and neither is your pediatrician’s
office. Pediatricians cannot provide the same level of testing and are not aware of the same hearing
issues as a certified audiologist. An audiologist has sophisticated equipment and specialized education
needed to correctly identify the many different ranges of childhood hearing loss.