The Importance of Hearing in your child’s learning and development 

Is your child having difficulty hearing at home or in the classroom?  

Does your child suffer reoccurring colds and a blocked nose? 

Hearing is fundamental to your child’s learning and speech development which is why we regularly test children from ages 3 and up.  

Untreated hearing loss in a young child can lead to delayed learning and speech development as well as emotional and social difficulties. Overwhelming evidence concludes that hearing loss, when left untreated, causes delays for children in many areas of their crucial development, therefore early detection is imperative.  

The good news is that the earlier hearing loss is detected, the better the outcomes for a child. Once a child’s hearing loss is treated, they are given the best chance to develop academically, emotionally and socially.  

 

The two types of hearing loss: 

Conductive hearing loss is caused by a blockage in the transmission of sound to the inner ear. Ear infections in infants and young children are the most common cause of this type of hearing loss. It is usually mild, temporary and treatable with medication or surgery. 

Sensorineural hearing loss can occur when the sensitive inner ear (cochlea) is damaged or has a structural problem. In rare cases it can be caused by issues with the auditory cortex, the area of the brain responsible for hearing. Cochlear hearing loss, the most common type, may involve a specific part of the cochlea such as the inner hair cells, outer hair cells, or both. It generally presents at birth and can be inherited or come from other medical problems, sometimes the cause is unknown. This type of hearing loss is usually permanent. 

 

Impact Hearing provides simple and painless hearing tests for kids of all ages. Conducted by our experienced Audiologist, we test for both conductive hearing loss as well as permanent hearing loss, also known as sensorineural hearing loss.  

Our child-friendly service involves a short hearing frequency test in a quiet room. Different intensity and pitch of sounds are played through headphones and your child is conditioned to respond when they hear them.  

During the 30-minute test we also check the function of the middle ear through a painless test called tympanometry. Hearing tests also include speech audiometry; which assesses your child’s ability to hear and understand speech.  

Audiologist, Dendra Cole will then lead you through the results, taking the time to explain and answer your questions.  

If you have any concerns about your child’s hearing and would like to book a complimentary hearing screening please contact us on (07) 3289 5563.