Hearing Screenings Help Identify Barriers That May Impair a Child's Ability to Learn As a new school year is upon us, some parents may find that their children aren’t quite adjusting well to their surroundings. In fact, they may be finding that their child is having difficulties in subjects such as Spelling and Reading as the year progresses and even expressing the problems in their own words. As a result, these problems mentioned could be a sign that a child is having hearing difficulties. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hearing loss affects approximately 17 in 1,000 children under age 18. Some of the risk factors of hearing loss may be a family history of permanent childhood hearing loss; parental, care giver and/or healthcare provider regarding hearing, speech, language, and/or developmental delay based on observation and/or standardized developmental screening; or recurrent or persistent Otis Media (middle ear infections), as cited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). “These kids aren’t necessarily naughty, even though some are labeled with behavior problems,” explained Sheila Klein, Au D, an audiologist for Trinity Medical Group. “They just can’t hear but are expected to hear.” Klein explained that there are two types of hearing loss – conductive hearing loss and sensory hearing loss. “Conductive hearing loss, which is temporary and treatable in the mild to moderate range, results from ear infections, fluid in the ear and other middle ear problems. It is temporary and treatable,” she said. “On the other hand, sensory hearing or sensorineural loss is mild to profound and is permanent hearing loss in the sensory organ. It can be inherited; can be from trauma, medications and/or noise exposure. ”Klein said children who are also exposed to loud noises are more prone to have hearing problems. “Children whose family goes to the car races on a regular basis, hunt with their parents, and live on farms with loud machinery, should be wearing protection and get their hearing checked out,” she said. Klein said that signs of a child who may have a hearing problem include grades falling, an inability to pronounce letters and numbers correctly and again trouble with subjects such as reading and spelling. “Speech delay, that’s the biggest concern I hear from parents whose children may have a hearing problem,” she noted. As the schools are performing more and more hearing screenings and parents are becoming more educated on hearing loss and those services provided by audiologists, more and more children are being diagnosed with hearing problems.“ The schools and physicians are doing a great job with hearing screenings and diagnosis,” Klein added. “We are fitting children of all ages including newborns.” Klein and ASHA cite that children should be screened for their hearing at birth, during the preschool years and at the following times: on first entry into school, every year from kindergarten through 3rd grade, in 7thgrade and in 11th grade. About Sheila Klein: Sheila Klein is a certified audiologist trained in all aspects of testing and diagnosis of hearing disorders. A Williston native, she received her audiology training at Minot State University and doctoral training from Arizona School of Health Sciences in Mesa, Arizona. She’s certified as a hearing aid dispenser in the State of North Dakota. Her office is located at Health Center – West, at 101 3rd Ave SW, Suite203. For more information or to make an appointment, call 701-857-5986.
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