Hearing Loss / Cochlear Implant
Explanation |
Causes |
Symptoms |
Evaluations |
Treatment |
Contact us Explanation
Children can experience three types of hearing loss:
Conductive Hearing Loss
Conductive hearing loss is due to dysfunction of the outer or middle ear. Conductive hearing loss can often be medically corrected.
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the cochlea or VIII cranial nerve. It can be congenital (present at birth) or acquired (illness-, injury-, or noise-induced.) The degree of loss can be mild to profound and is typically not medically reversible.
Mixed Hearing Loss
Mixed hearing loss has both conductive and sensorineural components.
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What are the Causes?
- Congenital hearing loss has a genetic cause in more than 50% of cases. Other causes of congenital hearing loss include prenatal infections, illnesses, toxins consumed by the mother during pregnancy, or other conditions occurring around the time of birth.
- Acquired sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by ototoxic medications, meningitis, head injury and noise exposure.
- Acquired conductive hearing loss can be caused by foreign objects in the ear canal, fluid in the middle ear, or involvement of the middle ear bones (ossicles).
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What are the Symptoms or Risk Factors?
All newborns undergo a Universal Newborn Hearing Screen prior to leaving the hospital. Therefore, congenital hearing loss is often diagnosed soon after birth. However, parents should be aware that hearing loss may be acquired later. The following are risk factors and symptoms of hearing loss:
- The child has a family member who has already been identified as having hearing loss
- The infant does not startle or cry at loud, sudden noise
- The child does not appear comforted by caregiver's voice
- The child does not respond to his or her name when called from behind
- The child relies on visual information and routine for communication
- There is a delay in language comprehension and/or language expression
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What to Expect from a Speech / Language Evaluation
When there is a known hearing loss, specialized evaluation is done through parent reports, observation of play and standardized testing. It is essential that the child is wearing his or her amplification device (hearing aids, FM system, cochlear implant) during the assessment.
In order to determine treatment needs, the speech-language pathologist works closely with professionals that include audiologists, otolaryngologists, pediatricians and social workers.
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Treatment
For children with sensorineural hearing loss, management involves an interdisciplinary team approach. Children may be equipped with hearing aides and/or FM systems. They may require therapy with a speech-language pathologist and/or an aural rehabilitation audiologist. For children who don't benefit from hearing aides, cochlear implantation is an option for families choosing an auditory / verbal communication mode for their child.
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When to Call the Doctor
If your child's speech is a concern to you, contact the Speech Pathology Department at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 513-636-4341. Ask to speak to a Speech Pathologist.
Why Cincinnati Children's?
As a national leader in pediatric speech pathology, Cincinnati Children's has a program for the treatment of hearing loss. This program is staffed by speech-language pathologists who have undergone specific specialty training. We welcome referrals from primary care providers and specialty physicians.
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Contact us
For additional information on this or any Health Topic, please call the Family Resource Center, 513-636-7606, or your pediatrician.
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Rev. 10/07
