10 Signs that your Child may Have Hearing Loss

As a parent of a deaf child, there were certainly signs of hearing loss I noticed before he was officially diagnosed with it. He initially failed one side of his newborn screen when he was born, but he was also quite sick and the doctors shrugged it off and said that he had fluid in his ears. They told us that once he was better, his hearing would clear up. I was hopeful this was the case, but as we approached his follow-up hearing test, which was scheduled a few weeks after his 10 day NICU stay, I wasn’t so sure it was just fluid in his ears.

Here are some signs to look out for that may indicate your child has hearing loss:

1. Your child appears to hear fine part of the time, but then doesn’t respond at all other times
2. Your child says “what” quite frequently
3. Your child requests that the TV or radio volume is up significantly louder than other family members request it to be
4. Your child moves one ear forward when listening or they complain that they can hear better out of one ear verses the other
5. Your child speaks louder than others
6. Your child asks you to repeat something often because they couldn’t hear you
7. Your child struggles in school and/or their teacher informs you that they do not seem to hear or respond when the teacher calls on them or is talking to the class
8. Your child appears to be not paying attention
9. Your child looks at you very closely when you speak to them almost as though they’re reading your lips
10. You just have a feeling, but you just don’t know for sure.

I noticed a few of these in my newborn. I believe I really knew that he had hearing loss when he was asleep on my lap and my dog barked rather loudly right next to me startling me.  My son didn’t even flinch. 

My son was diagnosed deaf on December 7th 2017. I still remember that moment. We had had another ABR test a few weeks earlier, but we were told he had severe to profound loss and that he could still hear some things and that hearing aids might help him hear more. Watching my son not respond to any sounds at one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, broke my heart.

Fortunately,  we caught it early and we started the necessary steps to get him aided.  Down the road we will pursue one or two cochlear implants.

I pray that if you suspect that your child has hearing loss, don’t wait to get their hearing tested. The sooner you know, the better off you and your child will be!