If your baby doesn’t pass his
newborn hearing screening, it doesn’t always mean he has hearing loss. He may
just need to be screened again. If your baby doesn’t pass a second time, it’s
very important that he gets a full hearing test as soon as possible and before
he’s 3 months old.
The risk of hearing loss is
significantly higher in babies born with a very low birth weight (less than 1500 grams).
However, hearing loss can be caused by other factors, such as genetics, family
history, infections during pregnancy, infections in your baby after birth,
injuries, medications or being around loud sounds. See our article to learn more about the
different causes of hearing loss.
Possible treatments
Different treatments are available
depending on your child’s level of hearing loss, his health, and the cause of
the hearing loss. They include medication, surgery, ear tubes, hearing aids,
cochlear implants, learning American Sign Language and receiving speech therapy. The article on our website
discusses each of these types of treatments.
If a child needs speech therapy, it
can usually be provided through the early intervention program for babies and
toddlers. Read this post to understand how to access services. The sooner your child
gets help, the sooner language skills will emerge and improve.
If you need more detailed
information, check out these sites:
Note: This post is part of the weekly series Delays and
disabilities – how to get help for your child. It was started in January
2013 and appears every Wednesday. While on News Moms Need and click on “Help for your child” in the Categories menu on
the right side to view all of the blog posts to date (just keep scrolling
down). We welcome your comments and input.
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