The beginning of the school year is certainly a busy and exciting time for both parents and students. With so many things to think about, one thing that is often overlooked is importance of hearing health for school-aged children.
Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to hearing health during this school year:
Untreated hearing loss can have a major impact on school performance.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, hearing loss can have a major impact on how a child performs in school:
- Children with hearing difficulties are at-risk for delayed development of vocabulary, sentence structure, speech, social skills, and especially grades.
- Even children with unilateral hearing loss (a loss in just one ear) are ten times more likely to fail a grade than their peers.
- A lack of hearing ability means it is more difficult for children to pick up speech and language around them, and they begin to fall behind.
Early intervention is key to preventing hearing loss from negatively impacting a child’s performance at school.
Sporting events are hard on the ears.
Whether your children are in the game or even simply cheering on the sidelines, sporting events can be severely damaging to their hearing. Between the marching band playing, the crowd yelling, and players calling out to each other, sporting events can easily reach dangerous decibel levels for players and spectators alike. Make sure your child is wearing the appropriate hearing protection to help guard their ears from unsafe noise levels.
It’s easy to mistake hearing loss for lack of attention.
Did you know that hearing loss and Auditory Processing Disorder share many symptoms with Attention Deficit Disorder? If it seems like your child isn’t listening or following instructions, it could be because they simply can’t hear or understand you. If you or any teachers have concerns about your child paying attention in class, make sure to address their hearing health as well.
Turn down the volume on all devices.
More and more children and teens are showing signs of hearing loss at an increasing rate caused by noise-induced hearing loss. Listening to electronic devices at a high volume greatly contributes to this problem, especially when the listener is using headphones or earbuds. Many devices are only safe to listen to at 60% volume. Check out ways you can limit the volume on your children’s devices so that they aren’t unknowingly harming their hearing.
Hearing loss can go unnoticed during routine check-ups.
While many children receive hearing screenings at school or at their regular doctor visits, these screenings do not always give an accurate account of hearing ability. Different from the school nurse or pediatrician, an audiologist specializes in identifying and diagnosing conditions of the ear and appropriate treatment.
Hearing loss affects socialization.
Children with hearing loss often report feelings of isolation in school. In fact, between one in three and one in five students with hearing loss are bullied at school, which is significantly higher than the one in ten average for children without hearing loss.
There are solutions.
While most hearing loss is not reversible, there are treatment options available. Hearing aid technology is always advancing, and there are more ways than ever to treat hearing loss in children. The CDC states that children with hearing loss are more likely to reach their full potential the earlier it is addressed and treated.
There’s no better time to check your child’s hearing health. Schedule an appointment today!