Signs of hearing loss in school

Many parents of children with hearing loss say they first realized there was a problem when their child started having issues in school. This situation is common because school requires children to integrate all of their senses and adapt them to a variety of activities. It is during this time that parents and teachers may notice a child is having difficulty hearing. According to the Hearing, Speech and Deafness Center, adults should be alert for any of the following signs:

• The child needs instructions repeated often; 
• The child has a short attention span; 
• The child has trouble recalling a sequence of instructions; 
• The child frequently misinterprets a command or set of instructions; 
• The child’s vocabulary is behind grade level; 
• The child does not always look up when his name is called; 
• The child has trouble learning the sounds of letters and phonics;
• The child confuses words that sound alike; 
• The child is withdrawn in the classroom and is hesitant to participate;
• The child ignores assignments that are given verbally. 

These are only some of the warning signals that indicate a potential issue with hearing loss. If your child’s teacher reports seeing any of these things in the classroom, schedule a comprehensive examination with a pediatric audiologist on your True Dental Discounts - hearing plan. He or she will evaluate your child and help find a potential cause of any existing hearing loss.

An audiologist can also offer alternative learning methods help the child learn effectively and efficiently in school. With the help of school staff, parents can get an individualized education plan (IEP) for their child to make sure they have all the tools they need to succeed in the classroom.

How can I protect my hearing?

According to the Better Hearing Institute, one-third of hearing loss is preventable. So what measures can you take to protect your own hearing? For starters, it’s important to limit the amount of time you spend doing noisy activities. This seems obvious, but many people don’t realize that repeated exposures to loud noises can add up to cause damage later. Second, if you must participate in a noisy activity (such as mowing the lawn), wear proper protection.

By wearing ear plugs or muffs, people can limit the amount of noise that enters the ear canal. These devices can be purchased at most sporting goods stores or a basic drug store. Third, turn down the noise that you can control. It’s easy to leave the TV on too loud or be tempted to crank up the stereo in the car, but even these small choices can have negative consequences on your hearing. Instead, make a conscious effort to keep the volume down low when you’re watching TV and listening to the radio.

This goes for all handheld devices, as well. Personal music players with ear bud-style headphones allow the music to have direct access to your ear canal, so listeners must use extra caution when using these types of players. Finally, the Better Hearing Institute recommends that patients ask their ear doctor about possible negative side effects of their medications. Some medicines can actually be dangerous to a person’s hearing, so do some research and talk to your doctor about your concerns. When it comes to hearing, prevention is the key to preservation.

The connection between earaches and nerves

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, earaches are one of the most common conditions in young children, with more than 70 percent experiencing at least one earache before the age of 3. In most cases, doctors treat this condition with antibiotics; however, new research has shown that the cause of many earaches is actually irritation of the small nerves in the spine. As described by Chiropractic America, “When these nerve endings are irritated, an abnormal tension is produced in the small muscles of the neck. This muscle tension can place pressure on the lymphatic drainage ducts resulting in inadequate drainage from inside the ear, thus preventing the body from being able to naturally correct the problem.”

A chiropractor will look for increased tension in the neck and any misalignment of the vertebrae. Often, these issues are caused by the normal wear-and-tear a child experiences during play. Through simple adjustments to the child’s neck muscles and spinal vertebrae, a chiropractor can help lymph drainage return to normal and remove the cause of the earache. This way, by visiting a chiropractor on their True Dental Discounts hearing plan instead of filling a prescription, parents can avoid overmedicating their children and wasting money on ineffective antibiotics.

Have you heard?

People aren’t the only ones with interesting hearing mechanisms and facts. Check out these random tidbits about animal hearing from the Better Hearing Institute, Teachers Domain, and the University of Washington:

• Snakes do not have ears, but their tongues are sensitive to sound vibrations.
• Owls distinguish sound directions partly by measuring the difference in time it takes the sound to reach each ear. This difference is typically less than 200 millionths of a second!
• Cicadas have hearing organs in their stomachs
• Crickets have hearing organs in their knees; sound waves cause a thin membrane on the cricket’s legs to vibrate
• It is thought that owls can create an image of the world around them based only on sound, much like humans do with their eyes
• Although fish do not have ears, they can hear pressure changes through ridges on their bodies
• Dolphins can hear frequencies up to at least 100,000 Hz. Compare this to a dog’s ability to hear up to 40,000 Hz and a person’s 20,000 Hz
• During World War I, the military kept parrots on France’s Eiffel Tower because their extra-sensitive hearing allowed them to warn of incoming enemy aircraft before any person could hear it
• All mammals have external ears, but many can move them to help pinpoint the direction of sounds. Some animals, like elephants, can even use their ears to stay cool by waving them like fans. And you thought you could twitch your ears!

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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 hearing care plan, you can get significant savings on high-quality care.

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 Care Advantage hearing plan audiologist to find out more information on child hearing loss – timing is critical.

Emergency notification systems for people with hearing loss

In public locations, including the workplace, the traditional emergency alert system consists of loud sirens or alarms. But what happens when someone is deaf and cannot hear these warnings? The Americans with Disabilities Act stipulates that employers must also install visual alarms to protect people with hearing impairments. Some of these visual alerts, as described by the U.S. Department of Labor, include:

• Flashing exit signs;
• Strobe lights;
• Vibrating alarms at the person’s desk;
• Vibrating pagers worn by the hearing-impaired person;
• Email pop-ups;
• Multiple frequency alarms;
• A buddy system, where a coworker alerts the person with hearing loss to the emergency;
• “Hearing dogs” that alert the person to any unusual sounds or alarms.

Not all of these alerts are effective for every person with a hearing impairment. Some are designed for people with moderate hearing loss, while others are best for people with profound hearing loss. Talk to an audiologist on your True Care plan to learn more about how to protect yourself in case of an emergency, and then relay that critical information to your employer, church, or other organization.

Balancing: It’s all in your ears

Even the simplest action, like walking, is affected by a person’s sense of balance. This balance comes from a complex combination involving the visual system and kinesthetic senses, along with one other important area: the inner ear.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, without those three parts working in concert, a person becomes dizzy and loses their sense of balance. The inner ear plays a critical role in balance, and any disturbances, such as calcium deposits, can affect a person’s balance. Some other causes of dizziness include Meniere’s Disease, certain drugs, and head trauma... (read more)