Newswise — Hearing is an important factor in your child’s speech and language development. “Being aware of the benchmarks of development can help caregivers and parents make sure children in their care are progressing appropriately,” says Kaitlyn Vogtner Trainor, speech-language pathologist at Loyola University Health System. "Lapses in development can also help identify medical conditions.”
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association (ASHA), hearing loss may affect a child’s development in the following areas:
- Vocabulary (e.g., difficulty understanding words with multiple meanings) - Comprehension (e.g., following verbal directions) - Sentence structure (e.g., difficulty hearing endings of words such as –s or –ed) - Speaking (e.g., hearing and producing quieter speech sounds such as /s, sh, f, t, k/) - Academic achievement (e.g., difficulty grasping reading and math concepts) - Social functioning (e.g., increased isolation)
“Hearing loss can be caused at birth, or occur as the result of premature birth or low birth weight,” says Trainor. “Hearing loss can also occur after birth. There is also acquired hearing loss which may occur as the result of noise exposure or ear infections. It can also be due to the effects of medication, such as the ringing in the ears, loss of balance and dizziness.”
Signs of hearing loss:- Shows lack of attention to sounds (birth-1 year) - Does not babble (4-7 months)- Makes few sounds (7 months-1 year)- Doesn’t respond when you call his/her name (7 months-1 year) - Does not understand what others say (7 months-2 years) - Says on a few words (12-18 months)- Says /p, b, m, h, w/ incorrectly in words (1-2 years)- Does not follow simple directions (1-2 years) - Does not put words together to make sentences (1 ½-3 years)- Says /k, g, f, t, d, n/ incorrectly in words (2-3 years) - Produces speech that is unclear, even to familiar people (2-3 years) - Has trouble playing and talking with other children (2-3 years)- Has problems with early reading and writing skills (2 ½-3 years)
“Have your child’s speech and language skills tested by a certified speech-language pathologist, especially if your child was diagnosed with a hearing loss by an audiologist and/or has delayed speech and/or language development,” says Trainor. “Have your child’s hearing tested by a certified audiologist, especially if your child failed his/her newborn hearing screening, suffer from frequent ear infections, or failed his/her hearing screening at school.”
Address any concerns about a child's speech and language development or literacy skills with a certified speech-language pathologist. Loyola speech and language pathologists provide evaluation and therapy services for individuals with communication, cognitive and/or swallowing impairments. Patients range in age from newborns through the elderly. Loyola's experienced, certified and licensed speech-language pathologists are committed to speech-impairment prevention, rehabilitation and education.
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