Poor performance in school! Could it be hearing loss?
Your child performing poor in school! You may have to visit an ENT specialist and Audiologist for his Hearing Test. Even a slight hearing loss in a child is often a reason behind poor performance in class.
Hearing loss doesn’t essentially mean complete inability to hear. It may be slight hearing disorder, only one sided hearing loss, conductive loss caused by recurrent ear infections or problem with sensory auditory processing skills (where even hearing tests may show normal hearing)
Most parents and teacher may not be aware of Spectrum of pediatric hearing loss and many years can pass before a student is diagnosed and treated. Sometimes it will be taken as attention deficit disorder or normal childhood behaviour or ignorance.
Even mild hearing loss can compromise communication skills and school performance.
Specific effects of Hearing Loss on children-
- Children with untreated hearing loss may have lower self esteem, they have tendency to isolate themselves and there is lack of class participation.
- Have difficulty in understanding complex sentences.
- There could also be slow vocabulary development and Problem with sentence structure as compare to children with normal hearing.
Children may have unclear speech and their speech may be difficult to understand. - Treatment Of Hearing Loss-ENT Specialist can treat some types of hearing loss, (conductive hearing disorder which involves outer or middle ear). Such as most ear fluid and Ear infections are managed with medication or simple surgery to drain the fluid out from middle ear by putting tiny tubes/grommets.
For other types of hearing loss (Sensorineural hearing loss) Hearing aid or cochlear implant, Bone Anchored hearing aids are provided which does not cure hearing loss but may help a child
Children who received early intervention at 6 month of age have been shown years later to have language skills similar to those of children of the same age who have normal hearing.
Knowing early regarding childhood hearing loss and initiating early treatment- medical, surgical or use of hearing aids /cochlear implants are critical for the development of speech, language, and communication skills in children with hearing loss and shown to increase school performance.
Even mild hearing loss can compromise academic performance. And You should visit an ENT specialist to find out condition of external and middle ear and an audiologist for hearing test and to manage hearing problems.
Article Credit: ENT Care and Cure