you are not alone the discovery that your child has a hearing loss can be a tremendous blow it might have you feeling confused bewildered and sad you aren t alone in this reaction many parents before you have shared these same feelings being able to accept that the hearing impairment is real and then learning as much as possible about what you can do are big steps towards making the best decisions for your child such efforts as early as possible in the formative years will make a difference in your child s future laying the groundwork for success since the learning process is challenged by the fact that information received by a child with a hearing impairment is either limited or altered it is important to learn what is available to help fortunately your child is living in an age when technology and support offer many excellent options there is every reason to be optimistic about what can be done to help your child reach his/her highest potential using the advanced technology and many
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hearing tests fortunately a person of any age can be given a hearing test even a newborn infant the hearing ability of all children including newborn infants and young toddlers can be evaluated by objective measurement techniques called brainstem auditory evoked response abr baer or bser or otoacoustic emissions oae these tests can be performed as the child sleeps or rests often shortly after birth in the nursery before leaving the hospital they are brief painless and accurate additional observational testing called behavioral testing and conditioned play audiometry can provide very useful information about a child s ability to hear well before they are capable of cooperating in a regular hearing test because of this appropriate treatments can be provided sooner than ever before the scientific method for measuring hearing loss and sound in general is in decibels the unit to measure sound which is abbreviated db the results of hearing tests are charted on an audiogram an audiogram is
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degrees of hearing loss the degrees of hearing loss are classified as mild moderate severe and profound an approximate relationship exists between the decibel hearing loss and the degree of functional difficulty the table opposite offers a guide to the different degrees of hearing loss the decibel level and an example to demonstrate the loudness of these levels each level brings different challenges and the need for different treatment and technology options these examples offer an approximate guide only the outcomes depend on the needs and abilities of each individual child your doctor or hearingcare professional can offer more detailed information specific to your own child.
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degree of hearing loss normal hearing mild hearing loss decibel level hl up to 20 db loudness example rustling leaves clock ticking quiet whispered speech clicking fingers possible challenges and needs no hearing related problem 20-45db may have difficulty hearing quiet voices will benefit from hearing instruments may require extra support in school e.g fm should understand normal speech spoken voice from the front and up close would need to use hearing instruments may require extra support in school e.g fm conversation must be loud with hearing instruments should hear normal conversational voice would benefit from extra help e.g fm favorable seating in school moderate 45 60 db quiet normal conversational speech moderately severe hearing loss 60 75 db normal/loud speech doorbell severe hearing loss 75 90 db telephone ringing may hear loud voices up close thunder would usually need to use baby crying hearing instruments would benefit from extra help e.g fm favorable seating in sc
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if there is fluid in the middle ear the loss is temporary if given prompt medical attention other causes can be remedied by medical or surgical techniques or by amplifying sound with hearing aids conductive hearing loss results from an abnormality of the outer or middle ear it is usually temporary and treatable with medication or surgery some causes of conductive hearing loss include · otitis media an infection in the middle ear · perforated ear drum a hole in the ear drum · cholesteotoma a cyst in the middle ear · otitis externa an infection in the ear canal · otosclerosis disease resulting in calcification of stapes stirrup in middle ear · excessive or impacted ear wax which causes a blockage in the ear canal · collapsed ear canal sensorineural hearing loss leads not only to a loss of loudness but clarity as well sometimes incorrectly referred to as nerve deafness there is generally no medical or surgical help available to correct for sensorineural hearing loss however tod
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where can i find help for my child if your child has a hearing loss there are professionals who are able to offer you support and guidance below is a list of some of the professionals you may encounter audiologist a healthcare professional who holds a degree in audiology and is a specialist in testing hearing and/or hearing loss and providing rehabilitative services to people with hearing impairment ent physician a physician who specializes in medical problems of the ear nose and throat otologist otolaryngologist and neuro-otologist are alternative names this could vary depending on where you live your family doctor will be able to advise you hearing aid dispenser/acoustician a healthcare professional who is trained to dispense and fit hearing instruments speech language therapist/pathologist a healthcare professional who is trained to provide services related to the prevention evaluation and rehabilitation of speech-language disorders 12
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hearing instruments a wide range of options is available in hearing instruments today hearing instruments have progressed a great deal in recent years and offer a whole range of technologies including digital designed to meet each person s specific hearing needs young children will normally be fit with hearing instruments worn behind-the-ear bte these instruments come in compact sizes a variety of bright cheerful colors and can help a wide range of hearing losses behind-the-ear hearing instrument components on/off switch microphone amplifier receiver volume control battery compartment program selection or telecoil switch t-switch earmold helix tip 14 earmold tubing earmold for behind-the-ear hearing instrument
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fm systems the path to better hearing begins with the choice of the correct hearing instruments however even hearing instruments properly adjusted to your child s personal needs cannot always guarantee good hearing in all listening situations at times noise or room acoustics may severely affect hearing in a classroom where many children are often speaking at the same time it might be impossible for the listener with a hearing loss to filter out the background noise distance also dramatically reduces intelligibility as does reverberation or echo the best way to overcome such problems is to use a wireless communication system called an fm system also called an auditory trainer the fm system has been designed specifically to pick up speech signals directly at the source and transmit them clearly and without distortion directly to the user s ear fm systems create a basis for optimum speech intelligibility independent of the acoustic surroundings there are two types of fm systems a persona
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sound-field fm systems consist of a transmitter worn by the teacher and one or more speakers positioned in or around the classroom there are many additional devices called assistive listening devices and systems alds which might be useful to help your child hear better for example on the telephone watching television etc check with your child s hearingcare professional to get more information about these devices cochlear implants one new technological development helping an individual with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss is the cochlear implant cochlear implants may help some children with profound hearing loss the cochlear implant is a prosthetic device which is surgically implanted bypassing damaged parts of the inner ear it is suitable for children as young as 1 year of age who are diagnosed with a severe-profound or profound hearing loss in both ears who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids cochlear implants can also be used together with fm systems communic
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10 reduce or move away from background noise help to manipulate the environment to allow communication in as noise-free an atmosphere as possible if your child wears hearing instruments with directional microphones try to position background noise to be behind your child he or she should face whatever or whomever they are listening to 11 do not over-articulate exaggerating your mouth movement distorts the sounds of speech and the speaker s face making the use of visual clues more difficult 12 captioning can help when watching television or a film.
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phonak listens to the needs of children with hearing impairment around the world phonak s experience with hearing instruments for children and developments in the field of pediatrics have had an impact on the development of phonak hearing systems overall by listening to the needs of children phonak has created a range of instruments to suit every hearing need the swiss high-tech group is active in over 70 countries the phonak group is based in stäfa switzerland and has been developing manufacturing and distributing a wide range of hearing systems for children and adults for over 35 years www.phonak.com more about hearing www.hear-it.org 028-0289-02/v00 1003/wia printed in switzerland ©phonak ag all rights reserved
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