Sometimes as parents, we know when something isn’t quite right. Even if we can’t put our finger on it. From being able to tell when it’s more than just a fever, to when there may be some hearing difficulties.
The older they get, the more they adapt their behavior to almost mask any issues. Or, if a hearing issue arises when they already have speech skills developed it can be even more challenging to spot.
Photo by Jonas Mohamadi from Pexels
Here are some tips and information on how you can spot potential hearing difficulties.
- You often think your child is simply not paying attention to you. Causing you to question them more than once a week. For example “Are you listening to me?”
- If you notice your child tipping their head towards you, repeat the same side, this might be an indication they are trying to use their ‘good’ ear. They might even mention this is their good ear.
- Sometimes it seems like your child hears fine much of the time, but on a few occasions, they seem not to respond to you.
- Asking more often for the TV, or radio to be turned up so “they can hear it better.” While it might be that it is their current favorite song, it could also be that they need the extra volume to hear more clearly.
- You might notice that your child may ask for things to be repeated over and over again. Initially, many people assume this is because they weren’t paying attention. However, it is one of the very telling signs of a hearing issue.
- If your child responds incorrectly to questions or instructions on a regular basis, this is usually a strong indicator that they aren’t hearing the instructions but are continuing as if they had. Many parents can get annoyed by this before they realize there might be an underlying cause.
- A vital sign might be that there is a distinct drop in their grades. Their teachers might make a note that they aren’t listening, or that they aren’t engaged in what is going on in the classroom.
- Occasionally, the volume that your child speaks at might seems to get louder. If you find yourself asking them to use their ‘inside voices’ or to talk more quietly a lot – this might be because they can’t gauge how loud they are anymore.
- You mind notice that your child focuses closely on your lips when you are speaking. The mouth makes particular movements, and lip reading is a skill that people with hearing difficulties use from an early age.
Sometimes, you just have a feeling that something isn’t as it should be. You can head to your GP and talk about hearing tests to get a definitive answer. Once you know what you are dealing with you can spend some time on the internet researching things like hearing aid selection, adenoid removal, grommets, sign language and other things that will help your child, and you, successfully tackle hearing loss together.
