by Shaina Merrick

Created on: July 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 10, 2009

There are many reasons to have your child's hearing tested. One sign you should have your child's hearing tested is speech delay. This means they are not talking at the same speed as most children their age. Another reason would be reoccurring ear infections. This could mean there is a problem with their ears. A third reason you might have your child's hearing tested is if they have a disease or syndrome that has a common symptom of hearing loss. These are disorders such as down syndrome and crouzon syndrome. You may also want to have your child's hearing tested if they are receiving treatments such as chemotherapy and even some antibiotics.

You will want to have your child tested for hearing loss if it runs in your family to have hearing problems. If your child has had a severe illness you will want to have them tested. Some illnesses can cause hearing loss such as meningitis and measles. You should have your child tested if they had a low birth weight or if they needed assistance breathing when they were born.

If your child doesn't respond to his name he may have hearing loss. Your child asking you to repeat yourself often could also mean you need to test there hearing. Only half of children with hearing loss have a risk factor that caused it.

Most children are now tested in the hospital before they are sent home for hearing problems. If your child has any symptoms you will want to take him or her to an audiologist. They have a degree in special techniques to check for hearing problems. They also know special programs to help either bring hearing back or learn to cope with it.

A child can have their hearing tested at any age. There are special tests for all ages. Some involve a reaction from the child like a game. Some do not not require any response. You just have to find the right test for your child.

It is very hard to diagnosis hearing loss in a young child. For young babies there are two speakers set up with a toy that lights up on them. They are then encouraged to look at where the sound comes from by lighting up the toy every time they look at the sound. This test is effective for even children as young as five months.

It is very common to worry about every little thing when your child is young. I remember standing by my daughter's crib with pots and pans banging them to make sure she looked. I also would talk loud on one side of her to make sure she could hear it. If you have any questions at all about your child's hearing it is better to have it checked than be sorry.

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