Managing Pediatric Hearing Loss
Timing matters in managing pediatric hearing loss.That’s why Alison M.Maresh, M.D. and the multidisciplinary 徱ٰdzٴDZԲDZDzteam attheDepartment of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at ͼintervene as soon as hearing loss is diagnosed.
“Kids have this limited time where the brain is developing based on exposure to sounds,” explains Dr.Maresh,assistant attending otolaryngologist at ͼ and NewYork-Presbyterian and assistant professor of otolaryngology at WCM. “Babies and children need to get sound exposure to stimulate neurons for speech and language for higher communication. What you miss, you never get back.”
HereDr.Mareshanswers questions aboutthecauses of hearing loss,and the unique approach ͼ (WCM) takes to manage it.
How common is pediatric hearing loss?
About one in about 2,000 babies in the United States suffer from hearing lossfrom birth. For those patients, we are often counseling whole families.We remind parents that congenital hearing loss is usually not associated with another medical problem, and their children will develop normally; being able to do what other children can do.
How does ͼ help families in which a child has a hearing loss?
Our practicetakesacomprehensive,teamapproach. We have audiologists who manage hearing aids and an educational specialist who works with families to make sure their child gets services in school that will take their hearing loss into account.
Wealso connectfamilieswithNew Yorkٲٱ’sfor children ages birth to three. It offers everything fromspeech pathology and audiology, toassistive technology devices and services. There also are a number of schools in New York that specialize in teaching children with hearing loss, which can be a healthy environment for some kids.
What are some of the other types of hearing loss?
I see a lot of patients who have conductive hearing loss—whenthere’sphysicala blockage that doesn’t allow sound.That’s often wax, and we can remove it and restore hearing on the spot.
Inyounger children—around ages one to four—weoftenseefluid behind the ear drum. This is a unique problem for kids because their middle ear hasn’t fully matured. This age group gets colds more often, so theregularfluid build-upcan lead to hearing loss.
The good news is that it’s very easy to treat this. We perform a five-minute procedure under general anesthesia to insert tiny tubes into theear, allowing the fluid to drain.
It’s rewarding when families tell us immediately after surgery that kids are pointing out sounds they’dnever heard, and that their child’s languageabilities haveexploded. It’ssatisfyingthat we can offer improvement in development and quality of life in such an immediate way.
What are some signs of hearing loss that parents might notice?
Sometimeskidsaskconstantlyfor repetition, ortheymight beturning up the volume on electronic deviceson a regular basis.
Schools can offer a unique perspective on a child’s behavior that might ultimately be attributed to hearing loss.Sometimes it can seem like children aren’t paying attention, listening or following directions,orarespeaking too loudly,when the problem is that they’re struggling to hear.It’s helpful to be in touch with teachers or daycare centers to get their input.
Why are hearing tests important?
There’s a fragile time in a child’s development when it’s important not to miss hearing loss. Once we establish that this is the problem,we can help connectfamilieswith resources their child needs as soon as possible.Hearing tests arethe first thing we do when parents come to us with speech, language, and developmental concerns, and arean easy and fast way to give families peace of mind.
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