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.

Do You Hear Me Little One? Psychology of Sound. Information for New Mums.

When Aaron was *in womb* what he could hear was of paramount importance to me.  Daddy and I used to talk to my bump very often.  I used to teach yoga every Friday night, after working a full 8-5 Monday to Friday job.  I loved the fact he could hear the mantras, and yoga music, but what I actually talked more about at the time is what happened after yoga each week.  Daddy didn't like to think of me getting on public transport, with my work bag and yoga bag, pregnant, so he used to pull up outside in his car.  More often than not we went for something to eat and then home.  He would always have music playing in the car.  I had a very "conscious pregnancy" which is why my other blog is called Conscious Mum, and I always felt tuned into Aaron, which is how I knew he likes dogs (despite me being afraid of them) before he was born.  Anyway, I'd always stroke my bump, in the car after yoga, and say "Aaron, it's Daddy disco!".  We'd named him the same day as my 20 week scan, when we'd found out s/he was a boy (till that point he'd been called Lottie - short for Charlotte).

Anyhow, proof that he could hear in the womb, is that he still gravitates to "Daddy Disco" type music even now.  Another funny story I have about his hearing, is that when he was 6 months old, and I was still on maternity, I went to our work Xmas party.  My Mum and friend looked after him that night and had a tough time, as Aaron was missing me terribly, with me being an attachment parent who'd never left him before.  Anyhow, what was cute is that he perked up when he heard the theme music of Coronation Street and Eastenders - he knew about my Soap habits, even at 6 months old bless him :-)

Having read "The Psychology of Sound" (below) I now know why he was so reassured (temporarily) by the soundtrack of Eastenders and Coronation Street:

it's also a survival instinct for the baby to be comforted when they hear sounds they associate with their mother.

... bless him!

When Aaron was subjected to mantras, in my tummy, whilst I taught yoga, I used to refer to it as a "sound bath".  I could feel that it reassured him.   The beauty of it was that I taught yoga until I was 38 weeks' pregnant, so he pretty much benefited from it throughout.  He also benefited from the love of my students who clustered round me, like clucking hens, at the end of every class.

Fast-forward post-birth, when Aaron was only 6 weeks old, I took him into work to meet all of my colleagues.  He was surrounded in people, but so at home because I had done long hours whilst pregnant and it was like he knew the place.  Clearly he recognised the work sounds and voices.  Also, he always used me as a barometer, i.e. he was happy to go places that I was happy to go to, so he sensed this was a good thing, his being at work with me.  Very proud mummy moment - SO glad that I videoed it.

When I Googled: "womb sounds" I got this via You Tube: womb sounds.  That's apparently why babies like white noise! Like the sound of a washing machine or hoover.  I know there were times Aaron only wanted me (or perhaps my heart beat) so baby wearing was a life saver, as it meant he had me, and I still had the use of my arms/hands.  I did so so much whilst baby wearing: hung washing on the line, chopped veg, typed on computer, and yes, even went to the loo!  Also, we are in a first floor flat, so climbing the stairs with bags of shopping was easy, as Aaron was strapped to me.  My sling of choice was a Moby Wrap.  Don't be put off by having to manually tie it, you pick it up so so easily, and once you have grasped it, your baby is so so secure, and you don't get the backache or shoulder ache that you do with the structured carriers.  What you instead get is that ache in your legs that you get when walking with weights.  If you've ever done weight training, you'll remember that healthy ache you get when doing

amplifon have put together this guide: Psychology of Sound: How babies develop hearing and understanding - it's a really good read and covers pre and post-birth.

A lot of the information there are things I knew/know to be true, either factually or intuitively.  I am going to extract below the things that struck me the most:

The foetus can also hear the mother's speech, and will start tuning in to the voice, language and intonation - a feat that will have an impressive bonding effect between mother and baby once the child is born.

This is also fascinating:

Read to them

Studies have shown that foetuses feel more relaxed when they are read the same book over and over again, indicating that memory is already relatively well-developed. Again, it's the tone rather than the content that counts - and your baby will have the same comforting association with the book of your choice even after birth! Do make sure you change it up occasionally though, to keep them engaged and give them plenty of new learning experiences while in utero.

I was very interested to see that the guide says "avoid placing headphones on your bump" as I did have a gadget that played music to my bump, that I got at the baby show, and I couldn't bring it back to get a refund quick enough - Mums know best - listen to your GUT ladies!

I love how the guide ends.  I can really relate as Aaron, even now that he understands words fully, is still sensitive to my tone.  When he's been naughty he says "don't be angry at me" or when he's shy he says "don't be happy at me" for example if he doesn't want me to proudly watch him dancing.  He gets quite bashful if he's doing something really good, and we don't  know where he got that from as he is not at all shy.

Equally, your own tone of voice will communicate a lot to them before they can even begin to understand what you're saying - so you can rest assured that your baby is wired to understand you when you comfort and play with them!

Writing this has actually reminded me of THAT feminism debate we had at Mumsnet Blogfest.... I KNOW there were people there, who want to believe that Mums and Dads can parent equally 50:50 and I KNOW there are many examples where it probably works to great effect, but, I know and believe that when a baby wants its Mum (some of the reasons being above) it is only Mum that will do.  Now that Aaron is older, his ties to his womb-days are lessening, and he'll just as quickly go to Daddy as to me (apart from when he's poorly of course). 

I'd love to know your sound stories!

This post has been brought to you by Amplifon, but all words are my own - except where there are extracts from their Psychology of Sound guide.  Amplifon is the world's leading dedicated hearing aid specialist.  With 60 years' experience and more than 5,700 specialist centres in 20 countries, they're the world's leading dedicated hearing specialist.