A pediatric audiologist offers symptoms and solutions for two hearing problems she frequently encounters: hearing loss induced by noise, and an inborn and often-misdiagnosed problem with processing sounds.

 

by Shanda Brashears Morlet, AuD, CCC-A

It isn’t surprising to learn that our planet is becoming noisier. But would it surprise you to learn how it’s affecting our children? Approximately 10 million Americans have Noise Induced Hearing Loss or NIHL, an epidemic that is 100 percent preventable if parents teach their children early on to take the necessary precautions.

NIHL is brought on by being around loud noises for long periods of time without protecting your ears. The volume of noise and proximity to the source are in a direct relationship to the amount of time it will take to affect your hearing. It’s not just listening to loud music at concerts that can hurt your child’s hearing. Sirens, yard tools, parades and even earphones—especially the popular “ear buds”—are everyday sources affecting hearing loss.

Here are some warning signs of NIHL:

• Difficulty hearing as well as usual for several hours after a loud event such as a concert or parade
• Experiencing a buzzing or ringing sound in the ears after a loud event
• Feeling fullness, pressure, or muffled hearing after a loud event
• Asking others to talk louder so they can be heard or understood
• Speech seems muffled or far away

Educate your children about things they can do to protect their hearing. It should become as commonplace as putting on a helmet to ride their bike.

• Block the noise by wearing earplugs
• Avoid the noise by walking away from the source
• Turn down the sound, especially on earphones

Role models are always a resource when parenting children, and you can highlight good examples of people protecting their ears, like race car drivers, construction workers, and fire fighters. When your children’s favorite bands are on TV, point out the in-the-ear monitors which, when worn properly, can conserve hearing.

Not loss, but a flawed way of processing sounds

Sometimes an auditory problem doesn’t mean the inability to hear, but rather the inability to process sound normally. One condition in particular has been misdiagnosed in many children as ADHD or other types of behavioral disorders. It’s called Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and it’s very common, affecting five to seven percent of school-age children.

Kids with APD don’t have hearing loss, but they are unable to process what they hear the same way as others. Often they don’t recognize subtle differences between sounds in words and end up having trouble understanding speech clearly, especially in noisy environments. This can lead to speech and language delays and academic problems if not diagnosed and treated properly.

These are symptoms of APD:

• Noisy environments upset your child
• Your child behaves better in quiet settings
• Your child has difficulty following directions, whether simple or complicated
• Conversations are hard for your child to follow
• Abstract information is difficult for your child to comprehend; instead, your child seems to rely heavily on lip reading or other visual information

While some types of hearing problems, such as NIHL, are preventable, many others can be managed with hearing aids or listening therapies. If you think your child suffers from any form of hearing problem, you should consult your primary care doctor about testing and treatment options. For more information on hearing loss, visit Nemours’ KidsHealth.org.

 

Shanda Brashears Morlet, AuD, CCC-A, is a senior pediatric audiologist at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.

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