Ensuring Your Child Is Hearing Well

Are you concerned about how well your child is hearing? Hearing tests for children are crucial in ensuring proper hearing development and preventing hearing health-related issues later in life. A child’s hearing is an essential aspect of their overall health, and early detection and intervention can significantly impact their future well-being. In this blog post, we'll discuss why hearing tests for kids are important and how they can prevent more serious hearing-related problems in later life.

Hearing tests for children are essential because hearing loss can often go undetected in young children. Children who were born in Australia after 2006 had their hearing screened at birth. A child may require another hearing test as the screening hearing test is not sensitive enough to detect mild hearing losses, the screening hearing test may have been a false negative result; and children can develop hearing loss after birth. It is also common for young children to suffer temporary hearing loss due to middle ear infections, also known as otitis media, or as they have fluid in their middle ear, sometimes referred to as “glue ear”. Children may recover from middle ear infections and “glue ear” with no intervention; however, it is essential to have the child’s hearing tested to know if their hearing is impacted. When these conditions are persistent or recurring, the child may need to see an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist for treatment and medical management. These issues, if left untreated, can cause permanent hearing loss or damage to the inner ear. By identifying and treating these issues early, children can prevent further hearing loss and damage.

Additionally, if you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development, often, a speech pathologist will want to ensure you have had a hearing test before doing an assessment or starting therapy. This is to check that your child is hearing well and has adequate hearing to develop speech and language. Children who experience hearing loss early in life may have difficulty developing speech and language skills, which can negatively impact their academic and social development. Early detection and treatment of hearing loss can ensure that children receive the necessary support to develop these critical skills.

There are several types of hearing tests that can be performed on children, depending on their age and ability. At Hearing Innovations, we can test a child’s hearing from 6 months of age.

It is important to remember that these children’s hearing tests look at your child’s ability to detect sound, they do not look at how well their brain is processing the sound and making sense of what they hear. If you are concerned about your child’s ability to process auditory information and make sense of what they are hearing, we can discuss if an auditory processing assessment would be right for your child. This testing is available from the age of 5 years and above.

Hearing tests for children are essential to ensuring proper hearing development and preventing hearing health-related issues later in life. Early detection and intervention can significantly impact a child's future well-being by ensuring they receive the necessary support to develop critical skills and prevent further hearing damage. If you have concerns about your child's hearing, it's important to have their hearing tested as soon as possible. Regular hearing tests can help identify any potential issues early, allowing for prompt treatment and prevention of further hearing loss. If you would like to have your child’s hearing tested, call Hearing Innovations on 02 9327 6611 to make an appointment.