A deaf child is the one who suffers from hearing loss. Children with deafness may also fail to develop speech. Such children might have no defect in their speech but they cannot speak anything. The main reason is deafness. They do not hear a speech, therefore, cannot develop it. Deafness may not be hereditary, but it occurs due to several other causes. 

The period of 5 years is crucial in a child s life. During this period, they develop their speech and language. Therefore, parents need to take the utmost care for the early identification of hearing loss and treat the child accordingly. 

Causes of Deafness in Children

There are several causes of deafness in children.

Otitis Media: In young children, if the eustachian tube is not fully formed, it forms fluid behind the eardrum. This fluid can get infected and affect the hearing. The fluid may not cause any pain or infection but still, it can harm and cause hearing loss even if it stays for a short time. 

Problems by Birth: Some children have hearing problems by birth. Sometimes, the problem lies in the genes. But, other times during pregnancy or prenatal care, the problem arises. If a mother, while pregnancy, has diabetes or preeclampsia, she is likely to deliver a deaf child. A prematurely born baby also has a high risk of deafness.

Illness or Injury: Some young children suffer hearing loss due to some injury in the ear or some other illness. Illness includes meningitis, measles, chickenpox, and flu. Head injury or listening to loud music for a long time can also be a reason.

Symptoms of a Deaf Child

A deaf child shows no reaction to the loud noises.

He/she doesn t respond to the voices.

The sound of the child is simple that taper off.

The child may pull or rub the ear several times, which is noticeable.

The child is continuously cranky for no particular reason.

He/she does not pay any attention when anyone is talking.

He/she has very little energy to do anything. 

He/she fails to understand the direction.

Often asks to raise the volume of TV or radio.

Have fever and ear pain.

Treatment of the Problem

Hearing loss affects a child s learning ability. So, the problem must be diagnosed and treated immediately. Here are some treatment approaches: 

Treatment for Otitis Media: The very first thing parents and doctors can do is watchful waiting because sometimes the problem cures itself. Some pediatricians might prescribe some antibiotics. If the problems continue, then the doctor will suggest getting an ear tube to the child that will allow the fluid to drain. For this, the child will have to visit an ENT doctor also called Otolaryngologist. 

Treatment for other causes: The child may use a hearing aid. Some can get cochlear implants. 

Conclusion
It is necessary for parents to accept the child with deformity and stay by his/her side. They must get themselves educated and communicate the problem with others to get help. It is essential to stay in touch with the child and take care of him.

Deaf Child - What Should You Know?

Hearing loss is experienced by millions of people these days. Ageing is not the only factor that brings hearing impairment. The causes are many. Certain medications, continuous exposure to loud noise, genetic involvement, injury and some medical conditions may cause hearing loss.

There are quite a few myths that people have come to believe about hearing loss over the years. Since it is such a common phenomenon, here we take a look at the common myths surrounding hearing loss.

Myth no. 1: Hearing loss is exclusive to elderly.

Fact: As said before, hearing loss can be an outcome of various causes. Nearly half of the people suffering from the same are below the age of 55 years. No matter what your age is, you must always get your ears checked, especially if you are feeling that are you missing things.

Myth no. 2: Diagnosing hearing loss is easy.

Fact: Most people do not come to know about the condition until it gets worse. Also, your physician never really checks for hearing loss symptoms in a general check-up unless you ask for it specifically.

So, always get a check-up done, like you do for other probable diseases.

Myth no. 3: There's no effective solution for hearing loss.

Fact: Like there have been advancements in the medical field for everything else, there are aids available these days that improve your hearing and have finer adjustments for noise adaptation. Also, there are certain other procedures and surgeries that have proved to improve the condition in many.

So, seek help as soon as possible.

Myth no. 4: The sounds aren't loud enough; my ears are healthy and fine.

Fact: If there is a problem you're experiencing with hearing, you have got to accept that and get it treated. Avoiding a certain condition will only get things worse for you.

Also, hearing aids are no more a stigma. Ear aid devices have designs similar to earphones these days, which are comfortable enough to wear. Ignoring a medical condition or inability to accept the same would only do more harm instead of making things fine.


Common Myths About Hearing Loss

What causes hearing loss? + How to ensure you can help it as you age

The partial or total inability to hear is known as hearing impairment or hearing loss. It can be present at birth, or develop later in life.

There are a number of factors, which may cause hearing loss

1. Age - Age is the biggest factor when it comes to the loss of hearing, and you may lose the ability to hear as you age. This condition is known as presbycusis. It becomes difficult to understand high-frequency sounds like that of a child or a woman when you get old.

2. Noise - When you are exposed to loud noises for a prolonged period of time, it damages your ears. This leads to loss of hearing. 5% of the total population of the world is affected by noise (the degree of suffering varies). It may be a result of continuous exposure to loud music or a sudden exposure to a loud noise like an explosion.

3. Hereditary disorders - Hearing disorder may be inherited by the dominant or recessive genes of parents in the child. 70-80% of these cases inherit from the recessive genes, whereas 20-25% inherit hearing loss from the dominant genes.

4. Trauma - Serious injuries of the head/ears may cause loss of hearing, which may be either temporary or permanent. When damage is caused to the brain, the brain fails to process the message conveyed by the ears. So even if the ears are totally functional, a person may face the problem in hearing.

5. Perinatal problems - The ototoxic effects on the fetus due to excess intake of alcohol during pregnancy lead to hearing the loss in about 64% of the infants born to alcoholic mothers.

Also, premature birth can be associated with hearing loss due to high risk of being exposed to noise in neonatal units.

Knowing about the causes of hearing loss can lead you a step closer to preventing this disorder as you age.

Here are some useful tips that can help prevent hearing loss:

1. Be more aware - You should be diligent and aware of the situations, which may risk your hearing ability and should try to avoid such situations as much as possible. Limit your exposure to sources of hazardous noises like firearms, firecrackers, concerts and clubs.

2. Take precautionary measures - If your occupation calls for working at an environment of loud noises, use earplugs or earmuffs to block out the excessive noise. Also, make sure that you work in a place where employers take all the necessary measures of noise control under the federal or state regulations.

3. Monitor your use of gadgets - Monitor and control the use of hearing devices, and try to reduce the use of headphones/ earphones as much as possible.



What causes hearing loss? + How to ensure you can help it as you age

Cochlear Implant is an electronic device replaced with the inner ear (cochlea) of the patients who are unable to send sound waves to the brain.

The surgery is performed on the patients who have the problem of hearing loss due to the damaged hair cells in the inner ears. The implant helps the patient to hear which are not responding to other hearing aids.

Conditions for Cochlear Implant:

Cochlear implants help people to hear with clarity. They are not like hearing aids, which make the sound louder, but it helps send sound waves to the brain and replaces the damaged hair cells in the inner ear. Following are cases where it is beneficial:

People who find it difficult to hear clearly with hearing aids.

Those with moderate hearing loss in both ears.

Patients with 50% or fewer score in the sentence recognition test.

Patients with 60% or less score in sentence recognition test with hearing aids on.

It is suggested to opt for cochlear implants in both ears. The reason is to give the patient a better perspective of sound direction and clarity in understanding the words.

How does the Cochlear Implant work?

Cochlear Implant is an electronic device with an embedded sound processor that has to be worn outside ears or on the body. Following steps are involved in cochlear implant:

The sound captured by the processor is converted digitally by the processor and sent to the coil inside the ears of the patient.

The implant converts digitally coded sound waves to electrical impulses.

The electric impulse simulates the hearing nerve of the patient.

Then sends these impulses to the brain.

Benefits of Cochlear Implants:

The cochlear implant is a blessing for people who have been suffering from hearing loss for a very long time. It provides aid to people who have not benefited from hearing devices. The benefits of the cochlear implant are:

Hear better.

Studies have shown that people with cochlear implants have better sentence recognition scores instead of hearing aids.

The patient can concentrate better in the crowd and can hear conversations across the table.

Reconnect with the missed sounds.

Enjoy music on the phone.

Cochlear Implant improves the quality of life of people with hearing loss. It gives them an aid to understand and engage themselves in a conversation. However, it takes time to learn the interpretation of the sound signals that are received from cochlear implants. But, the patient can learn and lead a normal life with the implant. The factors which affect the benefits of Cochlear implants are:

The extent of hearing loss

The duration of the hearing loss and the condition before implantation

Damage to inner hair cells

Other health issues

The practice and rehabilitation time have been done in practice after implantation

The cochlear implant is performed in the patients after taking extensive tests determining the condition of the patients. It is activated after 2-6 weeks of surgery to give the surgery site a time to heal. Most people are discharged from the hospital after surgery and are prepared for the use of an implant. There are training sessions and classes for patients who have just gone for cochlear implants.

Cochlear Implant - How Do They Help?

You should consider undertaking a cochlear implant in case you are experiencing hearing loss or are turning deaf. This is a small device that gets planted in your ear through a surgical procedure. It sends impulses to your auditory nerves directly, as a result of which sound signals get carried to your brain. Cochlear implants may not make you hear normally again, but help you with different sounds, and in the recognition of the different sounds around you like alarms, telephones, and door bells.

How it works?

A cochlear implant is fit for children and adults who suffer from the sensorineural hearing loss. This condition damages the tiny hair cells in your inner ear, which is called the cochlea. Hearing becomes impaired when these get damaged.
The device consists of two specific parts. The first part or the receiver-stimulator is placed under your skin via a surgical procedure. The other part of the device is the speech processor. It has to be worn around your neck in the form of a hearing aid.
The external device is, however, larger in size than a usual hearing aid. The receiver gets placed under your skin, behind the ear via a small incision. It is connected to electrodes.
This is inserted into the cochlea of your inner ear. The surgery requires a few hours to be undertaken successfully.
The speech processor has to be placed two weeks after the surgery is undertaken. The processor can be connected to the microphone, and this can be worn around the ear.
You can wear it on any other part of your body, based on your lifestyle and age.
Benefits of cochlear implant
The major benefits of a cochlear implant are as follows:

You might be able to hear speech almost normally.
You will be able to understand speech better, and will not have to depend on lip reading.
It will be much easier and simpler for you to listen to the television and talk over the phone.
You will be able to listen to music better.
You may also be able to pick up various sounds around you that include soft, medium, and loud sounds.
You will be able to control your own voice better. This makes other people understand you better.
If you are suffering from severe hearing loss, a cochlear implant may be able to change your life for the better. However, the results are not the same for all, and vary among people. It is possible for some people to benefit more from such an implant than others. 

Cochlear Implants - 6 Benefits You Must Know!

Using a hearing aid presents a number of advantages to a hearing impaired person. First and foremost, you will hear a lot better. Hearing aids do not restore your hearing to normal but they improve it significantly. It becomes easier to hear what other people say. Sounds you have not heard for a long time such as birds singing, door bell ringing, the howling of the wind and water running may become audible to you.

Hearing aid usually improves the user s social, psychological and physical sense of well being.

Study as well as experience shows that hearing aid generally improve the quality of life and will help you:

Get a better relationship with your family
Feel better about yourself
Get better mental health
Improve your physical well being
To concentrate better
Feel more independent and secure
Feel less tired or exhausted
Be more able to participate in social gathering
Be able to increase your social contact
Be able to do better in your job  
Hearing aid will help you to reduce tinnitus
Hearing aid will help you to avoid dementia by helping you to hear and improve cognitive functioning
As you start hearing through hearing aid, you will start socializing yourself and indirectly improve your quality of life.
Why you need to wear two hearing Aids?

Better understanding of speech
Better understanding in group and even in noisy situation
Better ability to tell the direction of the sound (Localization)
Better sound quality
Greater listening comfort
Hearing is less tiring and more pleasant
Keeping both ears active preserves speech understanding in both ears
Effective tinnitus masking
Better understanding of listening to radio and television
Speech will be clear

Advantages Of A Hearing Aid!

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