Why Toddlers Should Have a Hearing Test?
All newborn babies are offered a routine hearing screen shortly after birth. This screen is important because hearing is a such an important part of a child’s development. There is a lot of research that shows that hearing effects speech and language development, socialising, quality of life, and schooling outcomes.
1-3 babies in every thousand babies born will have a permanent hearing loss. For some children this is a loss in one ear and for other children both ears are affected. However not all childhood hearing losses are present at birth. Some permanent hearing losses develop in the first years of life. This may be because of family genetics or may be acquired through things such as viral infections or traumatic head injuries. Regular hearing checks in the first few years of life can detect any changes to your child’s hearing. If a permanent hearing loss is diagnosed, then a management plan can be recommended to ensure your child doesn’t fall behind in terms of development.
It is also important to monitor your child’s ear health in their early years because they are growing and when small can have an ear infection or “Glue Ear” or “Otitis Media”. This happens especially when they have a cold or allergies as everything in the head area swells a bit and the tube the links the ear to the throat swells too Fluid can build-up in the (middle) ear space. The middle ear is supposed to be an air-filled space. Fluid in the middle ear can impact the sound travelling through to the inner part of the ear causing a “conductive hearing loss”. A conductive hearing loss is usually temporary and may resolve on its own, but sometimes medical management is needed. If left untreated, glue ear can impact on a child’s speech and language development as well as mood, sleep, appetite and balance.
It is important to regularly check your child’s hearing and ear health because early identification of a hearing loss (permanent or conductive) means that intervention can happen in a timely manner. Hearing loss is invisible so you may not know there’s an issue unless someone tests your child’s hearing! We recommend an annual hearing check until school age or sooner if you have any concerns.
