Do I have a hearing loss?
The following questions may help you determine if you should be evaluated for possible hearing loss:
- Have you experienced difficulty hearing lately?
- Are you sometimes unsure of what others around you have said?
- Do you wish that people around you would speak louder and more distinctly?
- Are you often asking family members and friends to repeat themselves?
- Do you have trouble hearing over the telephone?
- Do you have trouble following conversations in the presence of background noise?
- Do you experience ringing in your ears?
If you answered "YES" to any of the above questions, please call to schedule an appointment for a hearing evaluation. At that time, your otolaryngologist and audiologist will decide on the appropriate course of action for your particular condition, be it medical treatment and/or consideration of hearing aids.
Find out more about Hearing Screening for Adults
How can I tell if my child may have a hearing loss?
Since infants and young children cannot answer the above questions, they must rely on their parents/caregiver to detect possible hearing loss. If you have concerns about your child's hearing, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is there a family history of hereditary childhood sensorineural hearing loss?
- Does your child have a history of chronic or multiple ear infections?
- Do you have concerns about your child's speech and language development?
- Has your child been exposed to any of the following (particularly while in utero): bacterial meningitis, syphilis, herpes, or CMV?
- Was your child born prematurely and/or weighed less than 3.3 lbs. at birth?
- Has your child been given IV antibiotics for any reason?
If you answered "YES" to any of the following questions, you should make an appointment with the Audiology Division to have your child receive an audiologic evaluation. With the diagnostic technology available today, it is possible to detect hearing loss even in newborns. Early detection of and intervention for hearing loss will decrease the likelihood of speech and hearing delays. A child's normal development of speech and language is largely dependent on the child's ability to hear various sounds and words in order to learn to produce them himself/herself. The first three years of life are the most crucial for appropriate speech and language development. If a child, therefore, is not able to hear during the early years of life when language is developing, it is possible that the child will suffer from developmental difficulties later on.
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