TreatmentTherapy | Recognizing hearing loss in children – Can my child hear properly?

TreatmentTherapy

It is important to treat hearing disorders at an early stage to prevent possible developmental disorders. The treatment depends on the type of disease. If the tuba auditiva is closed, an attempt must be made to open it.

Enlarged pharyngeal tonsils are removed, a cold or middle ear infection is treated.If these measures are not sufficient, a so-called tympanic tube can be inserted into the eardrum, through which the middle ear is ventilated. The tube is usually expelled by itself after a few months and the eardrum grows over. If the cause of the hearing disorder is different, hearing aids are often used to amplify the sound.

Cochlear implants, on the other hand, process the sound waves and are surgically inserted. Besides these treatments, other measures are also important. Speech therapy, hearing training, lip-reading and sign language can make everyday life much easier for children and parents.

Prognosis

A prognosis for hearing impairment is difficult to make. This clinical picture is based on many different causes, which have very different courses. However, the earlier the diagnosis is made and treatment is administered, the greater the likelihood that the child will undergo normal development, especially in the linguistic and social field.

Also the recognition of the problem in the direct environment can in many cases already help the child significantly. Whether a deterioration can be expected over time depends on the underlying disease. The consequences of a hearing impairment in the development of the child can be serious.

The earlier the hearing impairment exists and the longer it lasts, the more fatal the consequences. An untreated and congenital deafness can lead to dumbness. Since the maturation of the auditory pathway begins before birth, the nerve cells die in the absence of stimulation.

Due to existing problems of hearing and speech, social, emotional and intellectual development can be made more difficult. Early diagnosis and therapy is therefore very important.