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Hearing Impairment
 

Mother and Son
What is a Hearing Impairment?

Hearing impairment is a decreased ability to hear speech and other sounds in your everyday life. The term ‘hearing impairment’ is interchangeable with the term ‘hearing loss’ and refers to any degree of hearing loss - mild, moderate or severe – and can occur in both or only one ear. 

 

There are 3 main types of hearing loss: 

 

  • Conductive hearing impairment: The sound has difficulty travelling through the ear. This can be caused by things such as a blocked ear as a result of wax, or fluid from an ear infection. 

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  • Sensorineural hearing impairment: The nerves involved in hearing are unable to function properly as a result of damage or malformation. This can be caused by things such as listening to loud music for an extended period of time. 

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  • Mixed hearing loss: An individual has both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.

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​Hearing impairment can be present from birth or may be acquired, and is commonly experienced as people get older.

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Hearing loss can be a result of many things including:​

 

  • malformation of ear structures

  • damage to the inner and outer ear structures

  • damage to nerves involved in hearing

  • ear infections

  • blockage (e.g. earwax or foreign objects)

  • exposure to loud noises

  • tumours

  • head trauma ​

Hearing impairment can decrease an individual’s ability to interact with those around them which can impact negatively on their quality of life and mental health. It may also impact their education and employment opportunities.

 

Untreated hearing loss can be especially damaging for children and can result in:

 

Signs of a Hearing Impairment

 

You may consider having your child’s hearing tested if they:

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  • Are not startled by loud noises at 4 months of age

  • Do not seem to hear when you call them

  • Do not notice you until they see you

  • Do not make any sounds other than gargling noises

  • Do not turn towards a sound

  • Appear to hear some sounds but not others

  • Have delayed speech (a baby should be able to say simple words such as ‘mumma’ and ‘dadda’ by 14 months of age)

  • Have unclear speech (compared to other children their age)

  • Cannot follow simple instructions by 2 years of age (e.g. “sit down”)

 

You can find more information about hearing loss in children on the Pregnancy, Birth & Baby website.

 

 

As we age the first signs of hearing impairment can be difficult to notice. You may be experiencing hearing loss if you:

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  • Have trouble hearing what other people are saying

  • Often need to ask people to repeat what they have said

  • Need to turn the TV up louder than others enjoy

  • Can’t hear your phone or the doorbell ringing

  • Are finding loud noises more unpleasant than normal

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Mother and Daughter Communicating
How is a hearing loss diagnosed?

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Audiologists evaluate and diagnose hearing impairment with the use of a hearing test. This hearing test indicates the level of hearing loss and the type of hearing loss which will give an indication of the best intervention for an individual.

 

Newborn hearing screening is mandatory within Australia with the hearing of all babies tested before they are 1 month old. Any babies with suspected hearing loss are then referred to a specialist and will often begin intervention to avoid any possible long-standing effects of their hearing loss.

How is a hearing loss treated?

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Hearing impairment can be treated in many different ways – depending on the type of hearing loss being experienced- with treatment through listening devices the most common form.

 

Listening devices include:​

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  • cochlear implants

  • hearing aids

  • bone conduction implants

  • personal frequency modulation systems

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You can find out more information about these devices on the Raising Children website.

What should you do?​​
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If you are concerned that you or your child may be experiencing hearing impairment you should speak to your doctor who can refer you to an audiologist to investigate this further.

 

You might also like to visit a website funded by The Australian Government Department of Health called Know Your Noise. This website provides lots of information on how to prevent hearing loss and includes an online hearing test that can be undertaken at home.

 

For children with a hearing impairment early intervention is key to ensure any speech sound or language difficulties are not long standing. Our speech pathologists at Inner North Speech Pathology can provide advice on whether or not your child should undertake a hearing test while working with you to increase your child’s speech or language skills.

 

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