Health Topics for Child Health and Development

UI Children's Hospital

UI Family Care Centers

Divisions Within the Department of Pediatrics

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

Hearing loss in children

Deafness at birth is rare and occurs in only one in 1,000 babies. However, many children experience mild, temporary hearing loss. This can be caused by allergies or colds that cause fluid to build up in the middle ear. Ear infections may also cause this fluid build-up.

About four percent of children under age five have some hearing loss in both ears, and as many as ten percent have a loss in one ear. An estimated one to two percent of school-aged children are permanently hearing impaired.

Hearing loss during infancy and toddler years affects the critical stages for learning and speaking. A child's ability to learn depends on the severity of the loss. Hearing loss must be diagnosed as soon as possible, so that the child is not delayed in learning language.

Knowing the signs and symptoms of hearing loss will enable early detection and treatment. Contact your pediatrician if:

• Loud noises do not startle your child by 3 or 4 months of age or if the child does not turn towards the source of a sound.
• The child notices you only when he or she sees you.
• The child does not experiment with sounds other than gargles and other vibrating noises that he or she can feel.
• By one year of age, speech is delayed or hard to understand. Single words such as "dada" or "mama" are not spoken.
• The child does not always respond when called.
• The child hears some sounds but not others.
• The child hears poorly and has trouble holding his head steady. Unsupported sitting or walking is slow.
• Your child has a cleft lip or palate, kidney disease, short stature, or other birth defects.

Build-ups of earwax are often a cause of hearing loss in children. When an excessive amount of wax is produced, it hardens and blocks the ear canal. The symptoms include gradual hearing loss over a period of a few weeks or months, an earache, a sensation that the ears are full, or ringing or other constant noise in the ears. Ear drops to soften the wax, and/or an ear wash may be recommended by your healthcare provider.

Some hearing losses can be treated with medications. Others can be treated surgically. Immunizing your child against rubella, or German measles, is an important way to prevent what was in the past, one of the most common causes of deafness in children.

A hearing aid amplifies the limited hearing a child may have. Children as young as 12 months found with hearing loss in both ears, who cannot be helped with hearing aids, may be considered for a cochlear implant. Special education that includes speech and language therapy is important to hearing impaired children. Some children learn to lip read very well. Sign language may be the best way that deaf children communicate with their family and friends.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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