5 Signs You Need a Hearing Assessment
Hearing loss may be a health condition that won’t kill you; but it can certainly affect the quality of your life. It’s also a health concern that is affecting more people than what you think it is. In the United States alone, more than 30 million people aged 12 years or older has hearing loss in both ears.
In case you’re not convinced that you have hearing problems, check out if you’re experiencing any of the following five signs you need a hearing assessment or test: Continue reading
What Hearing Tests are conducted in Young Children?
Hearing loss in young children has a more profound effect on them than say, adults. Children use their hearing to learn and develop communication skills. The more difficult part is that young children won’t be able to tell their parents that they have problems hearing.
Hearing loss does not exactly mean that a child can’t hear at all. It may just be a case of the sounds not loud enough for him to hear it. As a result, the child does not respond to people around him. Other signs of hearing loss are delays in speech, language development, and educational progress.
Hearing Tests for children
So how is hearing in young children tested?
The audiologist will choose the child hearing tests that best suits the age, ability, and overall circumstances of the child. It usually involves a combination of physiological and behavioral tests.
One behavioral test carried out is the behavioral observation audiometry (BOA) which is carried out with infants younger than 7 months, as well as with older children who don’t respond to any sound they hear. Noisemakers of various frequencies are used and the child’s responses like startling are noted.
Another test is called the visual reinforcement orientation audiometry which is usually done on children between seven months and three years of age. Sounds of different frequencies are played and the audiologist will note the instances when the child turns towards the speaker.
Another test, play audiometry, tests the hearing of children from three years and above. It is like pure tone audiometry although the difference is that when a child hears a tone, he or she is asked to either put a marble in a marble race or press a computer key.
Electro-physiological tests are also carried out to identify the part of the auditory system that is responsible for the hearing loss. One type is the oto-acoustic emission testing which determines how hair cells in the cochlea are functioning. Cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear.
Another type is the brainstem evoked response audiometry which gives info on the electrical activity generated in response to sound along the nerve pathway. It is usually carried out when the baby is sleeping.
Another test carried out in young children is electro-cochleography which is performed under anesthetic. It detects tiny electrical signals generated in response to sound and provide info about the functioning of the cochlea.
If you think your child need a hearing aid, make sure that he/she get a hearing aid prescription. For more details of our child hearing test & assessment, and hearing aid services, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
https://www.hkhearingspeech.com
Five Reasons to Have Your Child Undergo Hearing Assessment
Many people believe that older adults need to undergo regular hearing assessment. But kids, too, have to undergo hearing tests periodically. Numerous studies have shown that nearly half of teenagers are showing potential signs of hearing loss. If that’s not alarming enough for you, here are five other reasons why you should bring your child to a specialist for a hearing assessment: Continue reading
Four Common Elder Hearing Problems in People Aged 50 and Older
Hearing problems should be a cause of concern for many older adults. In fact, studies have shown that nearly 30 million adults aged 50 years old and above have troubles hearing.
For many of these people, the hearing loss occurs so gradually that they don’t even know they have the condition. Others realize that their ears aren’t working well one day, and the functioning well the next morning.
If you are in your 50s, you should watch out for these four elder hearing problems common in your age group: Continue reading
Three Alarming Teen Hearing Loss Facts
The usual line of thinking is that older people are the ones susceptible to hearing loss. That may have been the case 20 to 30 years ago; but things have definitely changed since then. Today, hearing loss in teenagers are quite common. It’s certainly not because of age but more on the lifestyle of young boys and girls. Noise-induced hearing loss is affecting millions of teenagers around the world, and the facts are very alarming.
Here are three facts that you should know about hearing loss in teenagers. Continue reading