Dr. Ruchika Mittal
Blindness cuts off from things, but
deafness cuts off from people. Helen Keller
She also said: When one
door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the
closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.
What is Hearing Loss?
Hearing impairment, hearing loss,
or deafness, is a partial or total inability to hear. It
is one of the most common medical conditions. The prevalence of childhood onset deafness (including all causes) is 2%. It is well recognized that hearing is critical to speech and
language development, communication, and learning. Children with listening
difficulties due to hearing loss continue to be an under identified and
underserved population.
The
earlier hearing loss occurs in a child's life, the more serious the effects on
the child's development. Similarly, the earlier the problem is identified and
intervention begun, the less serious the ultimate impact. Early detection and
intervention can help the child to develop normal speech and language skills.
When describing hearing loss, we generally look
at three categories: type of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss, and configuration of hearing loss. With
children, it is especially important to diagnose and treat a hearing loss as
early as possible. This limits its potential impact on learning and development.
Causes
Of Hearing loss:
There are many reasons why a child can be born
deaf or become deaf early in life. It is not always possible to identify the
reason.
Causes before birth (pre-natal causes)
Many children are born deaf because of a
genetic reason. Deafness can be passed down in families even though there
appears to be no family history of deafness. Sometimes the gene involved may
cause additional disabilities or health problems. Deafness can also be
caused by complications during pregnancy. Illnesses such as rubella,
cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasmosis and herpes can cause a child to be born
deaf. There is also a range of medicines, known as ototoxic drugs, which can
damage the hearing system of a baby before birth.
Causes in infancy (post-natal causes)
There are number of reasons why a child may
become deaf after they are born. Being born prematurely can increase the risk
of being deaf or becoming deaf. Premature babies are often more prone to
infections that can cause deafness. They may also be born with severe jaundice
or experience a lack of oxygen at some point. Both of these can cause
deafness.
In early childhood there is a range of things that can be responsible for a child becoming deaf. Infections like meningitis, measles and mumps can cause deafness. Ototoxic drugs, used to treat other types of infections in babies, can also be a cause.
In early childhood there is a range of things that can be responsible for a child becoming deaf. Infections like meningitis, measles and mumps can cause deafness. Ototoxic drugs, used to treat other types of infections in babies, can also be a cause.
Self-Test for Hearing Loss
If you
observe any of the following behaviours or symptoms of hearing loss, you should
consider having your child’s hearing evaluated further by an audiologist:
1.
Your child is inconsistently responding to sound.
2.
Language and speech development is delayed.
3.
Speech is unclear.
4.
Volume is turned up high on electronic equipment (radio, TV, CD
player, etc.).
5.
Your child does not follow directions.
6.
Your child often says, "Huh?"
7.
Your child does not respond when called.
Assessment
Hearing loss is confirmed using a battery of
audiologic tests, with the specific tests and measures selected according to
the age of the patient. However, in general, a comprehensive hearing assessment
designed to confirm hearing loss usually includes a hearing history,
physiological procedures, and behavioural procedures.
1.
Components of a Comprehensive
Hearing Assessment and Hearing History
a.
General concern about hearing
and communication
b.
Auditory behaviours (reacting
to and recognizing sounds)
c.
History of ontological
diseases and other risk factors for hearing loss
2.
Physiological
procedures or acoustic admittance measurements
a.
Otoacoustic emissions (OAE)
b.
Auditory brainstem response
(ABR)
c.
Middle ear muscle reflexes
d.
Tympanometry
3.
Behavioural
audiometry testing
a. Behavioural Observation Audiometry (BOA)
b. Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA)
c. Conditioned Play Audiometry (CPA)
d. Speech Audiometry
Treatment
There are a number of devices that can
improve hearing in those who are hearing impaired or deaf or allow people with
these conditions to manage better in their lives.
1.
Hearing
aids amplify
the incoming sound, improve hearing ability. They cannot restore normal
hearing.
2.
Cochlear
implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a
sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or
severely hard of hearing. Cochlear implants
enable sufficient hearing for better understanding of speech. Majority of the
cochlear implant centres are in big cities due to the high cost of the device,
surgery and post-implantation therapy.
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