It is estimated that more than 1 million children in the U.S. have some form of hearing loss. Even if hearing loss is not very severe, this impairment in children can have a profound affect on their educations. Some children with hearing impairments may be mistaken to have learning disabilities, or assumed to be defiant or downright stubborn. Even with more and more hospitals screening newborns for hearing loss, still slip through the cracks. Parents may not even be aware of a slight loss of hearing until other problems develop. Fortunately, for both parents and children, many models of child hearing aids are available to consumers. The first step is to have your child evaluated by an audiologist. This specialist can determine the level of hearing loss in the child and recommend solutions and aids to help them. Children as young as a week old have been reported to have received hearing aids. The same models offered for adults are available for children. These include traditional analog models, digital hearing aids, programmable, behind the ear and completely in the ear canal models. Each type of children's hearing aids has different features and benefits. For example, programmable hearing aids are programmed to adjust with your child's environment. An audiologist is the only professional with the ability to determine which will best suit your child's needs. Parents of children with hearing loss report outstanding results from the use of hearing aids. Some parents claim that prior to getting the child hearing aid, the child was rather unresponsive and often crabby. When they begin using the hearing aid, the child behaved differently. Most children become more confident in their abilities and become more social. Children with hearing loss often feel isolated and different from their peers. Providing them with the opportunity to hear the sounds around them can make a world of difference in their self-confidence. |
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