Does hearing loss impact speech and language development?

Yes! Hearing loss refers to a child’s difficulty hearing. The severity of hearing loss can range from mild to severe. A child who has hearing loss may be able to understand only some of the information that is said to them. They could miss hearing certain sounds or specific details in words and sentences.  In addition to this, they may have difficulty expressing themselves as they could have trouble developing their vocabulary and learning appropriate grammatical structures.  

What causes hearing loss? 

You may have not considered getting your child’s hearing reassessed as it was ‘perfect’ at birth. However, there are so many factors that can contribute to developing hearing loss after birth. For example, when there is fluid in the ears, the auditory tube assists in draining this fluid into the back of the throat. However, if fluid does not drain from this space, it gets trapped in the middle ear space. When the ear fills up with fluid, sound doesn’t pass to the brain adequately.   

The most common cause for this is ear infections. When your child has an ear infection, there is a build-up of infected fluid inside the middle ear. Often antibiotics will clear up the infection but leave the fluid, causing your child’s hearing to be ‘muffled’. If your child hasn’t suffered from an ear infection, this can still occur. Common colds and allergies can also lead to fluid build-up in the ear.

What to do? 

Do not sit and wait! If you are concerned about your child’s communication development or suspect hearing loss in your child, seek professional advice ASAP! A team of professionals might be involved in supporting you and your child when there is any hearing loss.

-       Speech pathologists will help to close the gap of any speech and language delays caused by a hearing loss.

-       Audiologists will assess your child’s hearing abilities and suggest appropriate intervention.

-       ENT specialists may also be involved in the intervention process of remediating any causes for a hearing loss.

We love how this Flintstones video represents different hearing loss severities! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD5E88fFnxE 

 If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development, contact us on 02 8541 1416 or info@movingmountainstherapy.com.au for a chat!