Loss of hearing is usually a gradual process. Initially the changes may be so subtle that only a very keen parent would suspect something is wrong. More often than not, a parent may conclude that the child is being rude for not responding to instruction or maybe the child is branded ‘absent minded’ because of requesting for instructions to be repeated too often. When this happens at school, it can affect a child’s grades and subsequently their self-esteem.
Other reasons to have a back-to-school hearing test
Experts recommend hearing tests for babies a few weeks after birth. Does it mean that such babies should not further tests later? No. hearing problems can occur at any time. It can affect one or both ears and the degree of loss may differ in both ears. A child who goes undiagnosed will be affected in many ways. These include:
- Poor speech development. Many children’s speech is still developing during kindergarten years. Missing a hearing test means that their speech center will not develop fully.
- Poor social development. A child with a hearing problem will have problems interacting with other children and the environment they live in.
- Useful in detecting other health problems. The ear canal may be blocked by mucus or wax. These two will lead to deafness of varying severity but are problems that are easily treatable.
- Important in ruling out hearing complications following an infection. Some diseases or the medicines used to treat certain infections can lead to hearing issues.
- Helps to assess the response to treatment for already diagnosed hearing problems.
Taking your child for hearing test before going back to school is not only beneficial in the short term but can also determine how successful they will be in the future.
If you need to schedule a back-to-school hearing test, please click the button below to schedule your appointment today!
