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How do I know if my baby has good hearing?
Between the ages of 1 and 2, when children do not yet know how to express themselves perfectly, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether their hearing is good or not. Dr Sébastien Pierrot, pediatric ENT in Créteil, explains: “You must first observe your reactions such as the orientation of the head or the gaze with noise. Between 1 and 2 years, the child must know how to say a few words, and to associate them. If not, you might think there is a hearing problem. At birth, all babies have a positive hearing test, but hearing problems can occur as they grow older. These can have different origins and are not necessarily worrying, as the expert explains: “In children, otitis media is the most common cause of hearing loss. That’s okay, but if it’s associated with a language delay or a delay in learning, there may have been an impact on hearing. “
The subjective audiometry test
In the slightest doubt, it is in any case preferable to consult rather than to remain with his anxieties: “There is an“ objective ”test made at birth, which says if the ear works or not, but the most precise is the subjective test, which requires the participation of the child. It is an audiometry test as in adults, but in the form of a game. We emit sounds that we associate with an image: a moving train, a doll that lights up… If the ‘child reacts is that he has heard. “
Outside of chronic serous otitis, there may be other reasons for more severe deafness: “Deafness can be congenital or progressive, that is, it can get worse in the months or years to come. CMV infection during pregnancy is one of the causes of progressive deafness, ”continues the specialist. This is why CMV is part of the research carried out by means of a blood test in early pregnancy (such as toxoplasmosis).
When to worry if I think my baby can’t hear well?
“You shouldn’t get nervous too quickly, the reactions are not always easy to decipher in young children. If the stress is too great, it is better to consult, ”advises Dr Pierrot.
Hearing: an adapted treatment
Treatment and follow-up differ depending on the problem: “For ear infections, during a surgical operation, we can place yoyos, that is to say a drain in the eardrum which allows the liquid to drain. reabsorb and thus restore normal hearing. As you grow up, everything is back to normal, and you remove the yoyos after six or twelve months, if they don’t fall off on their own. If, on the other hand, we discover neurological sensorineural deafness, we offer a hearing aid that can be installed from the age of 6 months, when the child knows how to hold his head. In the latter case, it will be necessary to consider a follow-up with the ENT and the hearing-aid acoustician, but also with a speech-language pathologist to support the child in language learning.
For older children: music through headphones, in moderation!
Kids love to listen to music on headphones! From an early age, many of them listen to music through headphones, in the car or to fall asleep. Here are 5 tips for taking care of their ears.
So that children continue to hear well, simple measures can be taken by parents:
1 – The volumeIs not too hard ! During normal listening through headphones, the sound should not be heard escaping. If this is the case, there may be several causes: the headphones may be poorly adjusted to the child’s head and therefore not insulate enough, which may cause the little one to turn up the sound to hear better, either the volume is just too loud. Namely: the only danger for the ears is to 85 db, which still corresponds to the noise an brush cutter ! It is therefore more than enough to listen to music, or a rhyme.
2 – Music yes, but not all day. Your child walks around all day with headphones on, which is not very good. The Ministry of Health recommends a 30 minute break toutes les two hours of listening or 10 minutes every 45 minutes. Remember to put a timer!
3 – The Headphones, to consume with moderation. Kids have tons of games. So, so that they do not wear their headphones on their ears from morning to night, we vary the pleasures.
4 – The volumeIs mom ou daddy who regulates it. Children don’t perceive sounds like adults do, so to make sure they’re not listening too loudly, it’s better to do the tuning ourselves rather than letting them do it under the pretext of empowering them.
5 – The ears, on les monitors from close. To make sure that our child hears well, we regularly check his hearing at the ENT by a hearing test.