How to Know Whether Your Child Has a Hearing Problem

A newborn hearing screening or evaluation helps to diagnose and treat hearing problems at the first sign and before they become worse. Usually, hospitals perform a newborn hearing screening before the baby goes home or after the baby turns three weeks old. A hearing test reveals potential hearing loss or if any medical issues are affecting hearing ability.

What Are the Signs of Hearing Loss in Children?

Signs of hearing loss in a child may vary depending on their age and degree of hearing loss.

If newborns of two months old have hearing difficulties, they don’t:

• Respond to voices, sounds, or music
• Make vowel sounds
• Wake up or react to sounds or noises when asleep in a quiet room
• Give a startle response to sudden loud sounds
• Become quiet when exposed to familiar voices or sounds

A newborn hearing test is recommended if you can notice any of these signs in your child.

If 3-12 months old infants have hearing problems, they don’t:

• Turn their head or eyes to a sound they cannot see
• Enjoy playing with ringing bells, rattle, or squeezing noisemakers
• Try to imitate sound
• Babble or speak to others who speak to them
• Respond to changes in voice tones
• React to their name
• Speak a single word even after they turn one year

Take your child for an infant hearing test if you can see any of these signs.

Risk Factors for Hearing Loss in Your Child

These factors might increase the risk of hearing loss in a child:

• Premature birth
• Admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for more than 5 days
• Birth complications
• Received medications that can lead to hearing loss
• Frequent ear infections
• A family history of hearing loss
• Bacterial meningitis and other infection

Take your child to a pediatric audiologist in Irvine for hearing evaluation if you suspect they might have hearing difficulties.

Call us at 949-536-5180 or Contact us to schedule an appointment for your child’s hearing test.