HEARING WHY IS HEARING IMPORTANT? Hearing is important to speech and language development, communication and learning. can affect children in many different ways: delayed expressive and receptive language skills delayed and/or disordered speech development learning difficulties at school social isolation and difficulties with making friends WHAT CAUSES HEARING LOSS? A congenital hearing loss is one that is present at, or soon after, birth. In Australia, between nine and 12 children per 10,000 live births will be born with a moderate or greater hearing loss in both . If there are problems with the cochlear or the nerve which carries sound to the brain the hearing loss is called sensorineural. is caused by blockage or damage in the outer , or both. Some of the causes of a conductive hearing loss include ear , perforated or blockage of the ear canal by wax or foreign objects. media, also known as a middle ear , is a common childhood illness often connected with temporary or fluctuating hearing loss. Glue ear can often follow an ear infection. The middle ear fills with a sticky fluid instead of air, causing dampened vibrations reaching the cochlea. The ‘volume’ of hearing is essentially turned down, which is why children with glue ear can appear to have ‘selective hearing’. WHERE CAN I GET MY CHILD’S HEARING TESTED? If your child is under 18 months of age please contact Australian Hearing on 6232 3200 (please note a doctor’s referral is required). If your child is over 18 months of age please call Nurse Audiometry (Community Health Intake) on 6207 9977. Alternatively, you may contact a private audiologist for an assessment. A current list of private providers can be found in the Yellow Pages.

References

http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Effects-of-Hearing-Loss-on-Development/ https://www.hearing.com.au/types-hearing-loss/

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