Good hearing makes life easier. You can hear what's going on
around you (Whoa! It sounds like a truck's about to come around
that corner!). You also can hear what other people are saying and
hear what you're saying. That's important because then you
know your words are coming out clearly, so others can understand
you.
Problems Often Found in Babies
But sometimes, kids have trouble hearing. Often, these problems are
found while they are still babies. If parents and doctors notice a
hearing problem in a baby or toddler, they can start taking steps
early to help him or her hear better. If an older kid develops
hearing trouble, he or she can get help, too.
One of the best people to see for a hearing problem is an
audiologist (say:
oh
-dee-ah-
luh
-jist). An audiologist is a specialist who's been trained to
understand
how hearing works
and how to help kids who don't hear normally.
A kid who's having trouble hearing could have a problem as
simple as too much
wax
in the ears. This can be removed by a doctor and help the kid hear
normally again. But hearing problems also can be more complicated -
a little like solving a mystery. Why? Because the ear has several
different parts, it's mostly hidden inside your head, and it
connects to your
brain
. To make hearing happen, your ears need your brain and your brain
needs your ears.
An audiologist can help figure out what the problem is with a
kid's hearing. He or she might send a report to the kid's
doctor, so they can work together on solving the problem. Kids with
hearing problems may visit an audiologist regularly to see how the
treatments are working and to make sure their hearing hasn't
changed.
What Will It Feel Like?
Anytime you have a medical appointment, you might be a little
nervous. The audiologist knows this, so he or she will explain the
exam and tests that will be done. You'll have to put up with
some poking in your ear, but generally, visiting the audiologist
doesn't hurt.
You've probably already had an otoscope (say:
oh
-toh-scope) exam during your regular checkup at the doctor's
office. An otoscope is a tool that can be used to look inside your
ear. It's dark in there, so the otoscope has a light. The
audiologist will use the otoscope to look around. He or she might
pull on your ear a little bit to get different views inside. This
will help the audiologist spot anything unusual that might explain
your hearing trouble.
After seeing the way your ear looks, the audiologist will want
to test how it's working. One way to do that is with a test
called tympanometry (say: tim-pah-
naw
-met-ree). This tests how your eardrum moves. Did you know your
eardrum moves? A normal eardrum vibrates (moves back and forth) in
response to the sound that comes into your ear. But if you have
fluid behind the eardrum, for instance, the eardrum won't move
as it should and this can affect hearing. Fluid behind the eardrum
also can make your ear hurt.
To do this eardrum test, your audiologist will place a soft plug
into your ear for a few seconds. It shouldn't hurt, but you
might feel a little pressure. This plug will detect eardrum
movement and the movement will be shown as a bunch of lines on the
equipment screen or on piece of paper that prints out. Ask the
audiologist to show you how yours looked.
These lines tell the audiologist how your eardrum reacted. If
your eardrum didn't vibrate like it should, it is a clue about
what's causing the trouble with your hearing. Sometimes, if
it's an ear infection, medicine may help. Other times, more
tests need to be done to figure out the problem and solve it.
Now Hear This!
If your audiologist wants to do hearing tests, he or she will
need your help. These tests are done to see how good - or poor -
your hearing is in each ear. You'll probably wear earphones and
listen for different sounds. You might even go into a special
soundproof booth to do this test. These rooms are designed so they
don't let any sound in at all. Then you'll have complete
quiet for your test and nothing will get in the way of you hearing
the sounds.
The test will take about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how
many different sounds and tests the audiologist wants to do. He or
she might do pure-tone tests, which are used to figure out which
tones and volumes you can hear. Or the audiologist might have you
listen to words and repeat them.
Another test measures how well your inner ear is working. To
test the inner ear, which is made of bone, you would wear a special
headband while you listen for the sounds. The headband needs to be
tight on your head to measure how the bones vibrate. Usually, one
end of the headband will be behind your ear and the other end will
be in front of your opposite ear.
Before the hearing test, you'll also get some instructions
about how you should signal that you can hear something and in
which ear you're hearing it. For example, you might be asked to
push a button or raise your hand when you hear a sound or word.
Once your earphones are on your head correctly, the audiologist
will go to a nearby room to do the test. There will be a window
between the two rooms, but the glass might look a little dark.
That's on purpose. Why? Because the audiologist doesn't
want you to see everything he or she is doing. If you did, you
might notice the doctor's hand moving to send you a sound and
that could tip you off that a sound is coming and affect the
results. If you can't see the doctor, then you're just
listening and the test is measuring your hearing alone.
What's My Grade?
Good news! Hearing tests are not graded like the ones at school.
Your audiologist might show you how you did on an audiogram - a
chart that shows how well you hear. An audiogram uses decibels - a
way of measuring sound - to show how well you hear. Soft sounds
don't have as many decibels as loud ones. Your audiogram would
show you how many decibels you can hear.
But hearing is about more than loud and soft sounds. It's
also about frequency or pitch. That can be a little hard to
understand, but think of it as the kind of sound it is. For
instance, a metal whistle might make a high-pitched sound and a
tuba might make a low-pitched one. Your audiogram also would show
how well you hear at different pitches.
Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids
A kid's hearing tests might show that he or she has some
hearing loss
. The problem might affect one ear or both. The good news is that
there are many treatments for kids who have hearing loss.
Hearing aids are common. These are tiny devices that have
microphones and make sounds louder so that someone with hearing
loss can hear them. Sometimes, surgery can fix some or all of the
hearing problem. If surgery only improves some hearing, wearing a
hearing aid can help the person hear even better.
Kids who have hearing problems also can get other help. They
might go to special schools, where all the kids have hearing
problems. Or they might go to a regular school and get a little
extra help when needed. Outside or inside school, the kid might get
speech therapy to help with talking and understanding others.
If you're a kid with hearing problems, many people want to
help you hear as well as you can - and be as independent as
possible. Who's on this team? You, your family, your friends,
your teachers, your doctors, your therapists, and especially your
audiologist!
Reviewed by:
Stacy Szymkowski, MA, CCC-A
Date reviewed: October 2008
Originally reviewed by:
Tamara Sides, AuD, CCC-A
Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice,
diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.
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