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It is estimated that more than 1 million children in the U.S.
have some form of hearing loss. Even if hearing loss is not very
severe, this impairment in children can have a profound affect
on their educations. Some children with hearing impairments may
be mistaken to have learning disabilities, or assumed to be
defiant or downright stubborn. Even with more and more hospitals
screening newborns for hearing loss, still slip through the
cracks. Parents may not even be aware of a slight loss of
hearing until other problems develop.
Fortunately, for both parents and children, many models of child
hearing aids are available to consumers. The first step is to
have your child evaluated by an audiologist. This specialist can
determine the level of hearing loss in the child and recommend
solutions and aids to help them. Children as young as a week old
have been reported to have received hearing aids.
The same models offered for adults are available for children.
These include traditional analog models, digital hearing aids,
programmable, behind the ear and completely in the ear canal
models. Each type of children's hearing aids has different
features and benefits. For example, programmable hearing aids
are programmed to adjust with your child's environment. An
audiologist is the only professional with the ability to
determine which will best suit your child's needs.
Parents of children with hearing loss report outstanding results
from the use of hearing aids. Some parents claim that prior to
getting the child hearing aid, the child was rather unresponsive
and often crabby. When they begin using the hearing aid, the
child behaved differently. Most children become more confident
in their abilities and become more social. Children with hearing
loss often feel isolated and different from their peers.
Providing them with the opportunity to hear the sounds around
them can make a world of difference in their self-confidence.
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