Five Signs That Your Child Has a Hearing Issue

Photo credit: by  Travis Isaacs

Those of us who have healthy children are very lucky. But it's important to remember that some health issues are only discovered once a child reaches school age and begins to interact with the wider world. 

Hearing issues are one such problem that can easily go undetected if we don't pay close attention to our children's behaviour. Here are some signs to watch out for in your child as they reach school age.

Your child turns the volume up too high

Does your child tend to turn up the volume of the TV or radio far too high? If the answer is yes, it could be because they simply can't hear it well enough. Instead of just turning down the volume next time, be sure to ask them why they have turned it up so loud. Pay attention to their behaviour and see if you can spot any other symptoms and, if so, you should book your child a hearing test. Getting hearing issues diagnosed early can make a huge difference to children's lives and it's vital to identify hearing issues before they impact your child's learning at school.

Your child doesn't come when called

If you're constantly calling your child's name at home and you seldom get a response, it might be a sign that they aren't hearing you as well as they should. Ask your son or daughter whether they heard you calling them, and see what they say. Maybe you think they're being disobedient when in reality, they just don't hear their names being called. If they hear more when making eye contact, it may be that they are relying on lip reading rather than fully utilising their ears.

Your child complains of ear aches, pain or strange noises

Any symptoms like these in young children should be given close attention. Your child might be suffering from one of the many health problems that can cause temporary hearing impairment, such as ear infections or grommets (glue ear).

Your child talks very loudly, or has problems with speech

Listen carefully to the way your child speaks. Do they speak with a very loud voice, even when people are very close by? 

Or do they sound different to other children their age? 

Perhaps they have a slight speech delay? 

Any issues with vocalisation need to be reported to your doctor so that your child can be referred to a hearing specialist, or someone who deals with speech therapy.

Your child always asks you to repeat yourself

It seems obvious, but if you're very used to your child doing something like asking you to repeat yourself, you might not notice that it's anything unusual. Some children seem to always look to others for answers to questions, because they have not heard them properly. Others seem to always give strange answers to people's questions, simply because they have not heard the question properly.

These are just some of the symptoms of hearing loss in children that are school age. Even if you have not spotted any of these issues, you can always turn to the experts and book your child in for a hearing test to reassure yourself. It is always better to get these issues sorted before your child starts school, rather than afterwards, so that they are not struggling with an undetected disability in the classroom.

End of article.

I can share with you Aaron's story. His hearing had always been impeccable but Christmas 2014 he had a flu and headcold that seemed to go on for 4 months. I discovered he was having dairy milk at school, with his morning snack. Even though he is dairy free at home. Once I asked school to eliminate it, the runny nose stopped with 24-36 hours. Once school saw this within 10 days, without my permission, they reintroduced milk. The runny nose immediately returned, so I quizzed them about the milk and true enough he was consuming milk again. They eliminated it once again and again the runny nose ceased immediately. They now believed me there was a link. Sadly that flu had included a sinus infection which seemed to impact his hearing. So for most of Winter he was doing the things above, like increasing the volume on the TV. 

Once the flu was behind him, his hearing seemed to recover. The recovery began with him saying upon blowing his nose "my ears are popping" or "everything sounds so loud now". The popping went on for a few weeks and then his hearing was totally restored.

However he is now having a Summer cold, and we seem to be encountering the same problem again. His ears seem to have more wax than normal and the TV is about 10 points up on volume. So we are currently awaiting an appointment with the Audiology department from the hospital, which is due to a referral from school. UPDATE: I now have the appointment and it's in July so I will be able to let you know the outcome.

When the nurse came into school he also failed the sight test. They then ask you to see an Optician and we did this. The Optician spent a long time with Aaron but confirmed via a detailed analysis that his eyesight is above average for his age and that he therefore does not require glasses. So we are reassured regarding sight, but do need to get the ears sorted. I hope it becomes as stress free as the eyes, and that the excess wax will clear easily or naturally.  I'll keep you informed.