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• The child is withdrawn in the classroom and is hesitant to participate;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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Did you know? Facts about Hearing Loss

The Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center has compiled a list of lesser-known facts about people with hearing loss. Learn more about their experiences by reading a few of these facts below:

• Approximately 22 million deaf people live in the United States.
• Overwhelmingly, deaf and hard of hearing people prefer to be called “deaf” or “hard of hearing” – not “hearing impaired.”
• The huddle formation used by football teams originated at Gallaudet College, a liberal arts college for deaf people in Washington, D.C., that started it to prevent other schools from reading their sign language.
• The man who invented shorthand, John Gregg, was deaf... (read more)