Health Topics for Hearing

Department of Otolaryngology

Otolaryngology Clinics

Hearing Loss In Children: Causes

Hearing is the foundation for developing a child's communication skills. Without good hearing, a child has difficulty in developing speech, language, and social skills. Even a mild hearing loss can be serious for a child who cannot hear all the speech sounds.

Hearing loss may be as mild, moderate, severe, or total. It may reflect damage to the outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, or auditory nerve.

Damage to the outer or middle ear accounts for 90% of hearing loss in children. Otitis media, or infection and swelling of the middle ear, is the most common cause of hearing loss in children. Otitis media results in fluid forming in the middle ear behind the eardrum. While most children have an occasional ear infection, 15% of children get many infections a year. If left untreated, ear infections can result in a hearing loss. Antibiotics or insertion of tubes in the eardrum can be used to restore hearing back to normal.

When there is damage to the nerve that sends electrical impulses from the inner ear to the brain, irreversible hearing loss occurs. Most of this type of hearing loss is present at the time of birth.

Causes are due to:

• heredity

• oxygen deprivation

• prematurity

• fetal alcohol syndrome

• infection

• meningitis in older children and

• unknown causes that account for about 50% of the hearing loss

It is important to identify hearing loss in children as soon as possible because hearing loss can affect their ability to talk.

Your child may have a hearing loss if the child:

• has a speech or language delay

• uses gestures to communicate instead of speech

• watches you closely when you talk

• does not wake up to loud sounds or

• has a change in voice quality

If you suspect a hearing loss in your child, contact your healthcare provider for a hearing test. Hearing can be tested in any child, including an infant. A hearing test can determine the degree and type of hearing loss. Even mild hearing losses can be detected through a regular screening program.

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