How to check the hearing of a child?

Every parent wants to make sure their child is developing normally, and part of that involves keeping an ear out for hearing problems. Children’s ability to talk, interact, and learn social skills is greatly influenced by their hearing. Early detection of any problems can have a significant impact on their overall growth.

However, how can you tell if your child’s hearing is normal? Since infants and early children can’t always tell us when something is wrong, it’s critical to recognize the warning signs. There are easy ways to check their hearing at home and know when to involve a specialist, from watching their reactions to sounds to knowing when to seek professional help.

In order to help you handle any issues promptly and efficiently, this article will walk you through the process of testing your child’s hearing and assist you in identifying potential concerns.

When is a check needed?

Medical checks of hearing function are carried out starting from 2-3 days after the birth of the baby and are repeated from time to time throughout the person"s life. A child is checked at 3 months, at six months, at one year, when enrolling in kindergarten and school, at school medical examinations and as part of a medical examination, when entering a university and at the military registration and enlistment office. The thing is that minor hearing loss from birth is very difficult to diagnose at an early age, and a healthy baby may well lose good hearing after a severe acute respiratory viral infection, flu, after an acoustic injury or a blow to the head. Hearing is more unstable than vision, and it needs to be checked more often.

If parents are unsure about the baby’s ability to hear and perceive his environment through his ears, they should consider doing an audivisual examination.

• A child aged 1-2 months does not pay attention to loud sudden sounds (the alarm rang, a doorbell rang, the door slammed loudly, a heavy object fell). The child does not flinch, does not look for the source of the sound with his eyes, does not get scared, does not throw up his arms or legs;
• at the age of 3 months and older, the baby does not react to his mother"s voice, does not recognize it, does not try to look for his mother with his eyes if she speaks at a distance from his crib;
• at 4 months does not react to the voices of other people, to the sounds of toys;
• up to 6 months there are no signs of cooing;
• at one year, the child only moans, does not pronounce sounds and syllables;
• at two years there is no minimum vocabulary, the child does not follow the requests of an adult;
• if the child communicates little, is not interested in this, often shows aggression;
• the child often asks again;
• during a dialogue, the child tensely and attentively watches the articulation, lips and facial expression of the interlocutor;
• watching a movie or cartoon, tries to make it louder;
• has difficulty perceiving telephone words, constantly moves the phone from one ear to the other.

There is loss of perception of specific ranges in addition to general hearing loss, the symptoms of which we have already discussed. Thus, while some kids are able to understand everyday speech, they are unable to hear or sense the sound of birdsong or the rustle of leaves underfoot. And some people can watch TV at a regular volume even though they cannot hear the water dripping from the faucet.

There are various types and degrees of hearing loss, and they all show up in different ways.

You should take your baby to an audiology center to see a pediatric audiologist and an ENT physician if it appears to you that he is not hearing or is not understanding sounds, or is having difficulty perceiving sounds clearly.

Hardware methods

There are numerous medical methods available to assess your child’s hearing. Game audiometry is frequently used with young children. For kids between the ages of two and four, this approach works best. The rules of the game are explained to the child while they are wearing headphones: they must toss the ball into a bucket or basket whenever they hear a sound signal. The headphones receive a variety of frequency sounds. The audiologist assesses which frequencies are accessible to the baby’s perception and which are not based on the baby’s response.

The child can also be asked to press a key while seated in front of a computer monitor as part of a game audiometric test. The child wears headphones and is given sounds of animals, plants, and people talking. His job is to recognize the sounds and press the button when he hears them.

Tone audiometry is a common hearing test technique used in clinics and audiology centers. Testing takes place in a dedicated soundproof room. When the child puts on headphones, sounds in a variety of frequencies and ranges are played. The doctor plays the next sound until the child reaches the threshold where they can hear, at which point he presses a button or raises his hand. In this manner, the hearing threshold in various ranges of a given child is ascertained.

The smallest ones are examined by the otoacoustic emission method, which is also used for hearing tests in clinics at one, three, and six months of age, as well as in maternity hospitals two to three days after the baby is born. When the child is examined, it is preferable if they are asleep or in a resting state, such as sucking on the breast.

The infant’s ear is punctured with a flexible probe that is attached to a portable gadget. After a while, the device records the vibrations that the inner ear’s hair cells respond to by sending sounds at various frequencies into the ear. The child perceives sound if there is a response, otherwise they do not hear it.

Yet another useful technique for evaluating hearing function is tympanometry. Its purpose is to evaluate the middle ear and eardrum’s function. To record the vibrations of the eardrum during sound conduction, a probe is inserted into the ear.

The tuning fork method is used to determine the causes of hearing loss if these methods show deviations from the norm. We can determine which area of the auditory analyzers is damaged by evaluating how high and low sounds are perceived.

A child’s hearing can be evaluated by paying attention to how they respond to common noises and speech. Starting with how their child reacts to their name, loud noises, and quiet sounds, parents can observe their behavior. Easy at-home activities such as softly calling their name behind them or seeing how they respond to toys or music can provide important information. To ensure early detection and assistance if necessary, it is best to seek professional evaluation from a pediatrician or audiologist if any concerns are raised.

We test independently

Naturally, testing for hearing acuity at home cannot be as accurate as testing on a device, but this is not a requirement of it. For parents, home testing is essential to verify concerns before visiting the physician or to de-stress and stop worrying.

Depending on the child’s age, independent home hearing testing can be performed.

Up to a year

You can only independently evaluate the overall situation during infancy, regardless of hearing. It can be challenging to evaluate auditory function abnormalities in children who are not totally deaf. Typically, a baby’s behavioral responses are observed. At two months old, a sound will cause the child to become animated and flail his arms and legs. By three months old, he will start to search with his eyes for the source of the sound.

The so-called cereal test is applicable. There are three identical jars, each half full of cereal—one containing semolina, the other buckwheat, and the third containing peas.

A silent toy is used by one adult to divert the child, and a jar is shaken by another half a meter from the child’s ear. Peas are used last, followed by buckwheat and semolina.

They determine the child’s hearing ability in this way: by listening for high, medium, and low sounds. It will take a few minutes to stop in between the jars. Ideally, the child will show signs of interest in the sound, becoming sidetracked from thinking about the toy and beginning to investigate where the sound is coming from.

From 1 to 3 years

You can actively play with toys that make a range of noises at this age, from soft rattles to loud pipes and drums. The most important thing is to play the sound behind the child’s back and gauge his response. The sound is delivered from a greater distance. It is currently roughly two meters instead of 0.5 to 1 meters.

Over 3 years

The auditory perception of older children who are able to speak is assessed through whispers and conversational speech. It is preferable to employ the previously mentioned techniques if the child’s speech is still poor. Everyone has been using the speech-based hearing assessment method since they are four or five years old.

It’s critical to realize that a child with normal hearing can distinguish spoken language up to 20 meters away and whispered speech up to 6 meters away. Make sure the room is quiet and turn off any distracting devices, such as the TV and fan.

Request that the child stand against the wall and take a six-meter step back from him. The infant is turned so that his right side is facing the parent, and a cotton swab should be used to cover his left ear. If the child is older, he can use his fingers to cover his second ear.

The adult whispers or pronounces numbers from 1 to 100 or word pairs that audiologists and otolaryngologists typically use to evaluate hearing function without exerting much voice. The child’s job is to say the word or number aloud.

You should go up to a meter and repeat three words if a child is not hearing them when you are speaking six meters away. Proceed to a different meter and try again until hearing returns.

You must note the child’s ability to use both his right and left ears to repeat the words after hearing them. This will make it easier to comprehend how severe the hearing loss is:

• 6 meters or more in each ear – normal hearing;
• 5-2 meters – minor hearing loss;
• 1 meter – moderate hearing loss;
• 0.5 meters – does not perceive at all – a strong degree of hearing loss.

Use words with phonetically balanced high and low sounds when taking a whisper test. You can use the following pairs with your child:

• mother – boy;
• house – lamp;
• table – hour (clock);
• grandfather – boots;
• desk – fly;
• doctor – tea.

Don’t attempt to pronounce words that a child, because of their age, does not understand.

You can administer a spoken language exam from 20 meters behind after the whisper test.

A child’s development greatly benefits from having their hearing examined since speech, learning, and social skills can all be impacted by hearing problems. It’s critical to be aware of any indications of hearing impairment, such as delayed speech development or a lack of reaction to noises.

Easy tests that you do at home, such as calling your child from behind or using toys to make noises, can give first indications. For a trustworthy diagnosis, though, a pediatrician or audiologist’s professional assessment is necessary.

Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance as soon as you have any concerns. Taking swift action can result in practical solutions that will support your child’s success in the classroom and in daily life.

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