Childhood Hearing Loss

Diagnosis And Treatment
Childhood hearing loss is a negative factor for the psychomotor, educational and social development of the child. It is a problem that negatively affects the development of speech and the general communication of the child with its environment. Early diagnosis of the problem determines the success of its treatment. With the modern medical methods of “Otoacoustic Emissions” and «Acoustic Evoked Response (ABR)», which are applied to every newborn, we are now able to diagnose and treat the problem in time. Family history, complications during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the occurrence of infections and the use of ototoxic drugs during child development, are factors that increase the likelihood of childhood hearing loss. For all the above reasons, regular hearing tests are necessary for every child.
In case of a hearing loss, a safe, painless and immediate solution is the application of hearing aids. In recent years, modern hearing aids have presented several technological innovations. Important steps have also been taken in the field of aesthetics. Thus now, the newest generation of hearing aids have high performance and small size. The issue of size was an important problem for new parents – thankfully not anymore.
At this point we should emphasize that the application of hearing aids for the treatment of childhood hearing loss requires specialized knowledge, special attention and sensitivity. Therefore, the application should be done in specialized hearing rehabilitation centers by Audiologists and Αudioprosthetist. Particularly important is also the constant communication of the parents with the specialists in order for them to be provided with the latest information regarding the development of their child’s communication.
Finally, it should be mentioned the contribution of Primary and Secondary education in tackling the problem of hearing loss. In case of diagnosis every child is provided with a significant financial assistance for the purchase of hearing aids.
