When a child suffers from hearing loss, it is often noticeable at a very young age. For instance, if a baby does not turn her head when her mother speaks to her, it may be an early warning sign that she has a hearing problem. The child may not react to music being played or noise making toys that are placed nearby. Treating hearing loss in a child begins with diagnosing the type of hearing loss she is suffering from. These are the types of hearing loss that young children are diagnosed with.

Conductive Hearing Loss 

Conductive hearing loss can usually be corrected. This type of hearing loss occurs when sounds are being blocked and cannot travel from the outer ear and middle ear to the inner ear. The hearing loss may be mild and the child may be able to hear loud sounds but not those that are faint or from a distance.

Often conductive hearing loss is caused by a build up of ear wax, excess fluid in the middle ear, small benign growths in the inner ear or even foreign objects that the child has put inside her ear. This problem can also occur if the tubes in the middle ear are not draining fluid properly. 

Conductive hearing loss can often be corrected by flushing out the ears to remove wax buildup or minor surgery to remove growths or replace the Eustachian tubes in the middle ear.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss 

Sensorineural hearing loss is usually permanent. This type of hearing loss occurs when there is severe damage to the inner ear or the nerves that transport sound from the inner ear to the brain are damaged. Children who have sensorineural hearing loss cannot usually hear any type of sound, whether loud or faint.

Sensorineural hearing loss can be caused by several different things. This includes heredity, illness, head trauma or deformity of the inner ear. Sensorineural hearing loss cannot usually be corrected, but the hearing may be improved with the help of hearing aids.

Mixed Hearing Loss 

When a child suffers from mixed hearing loss, there is damage to the middle or outer ear and the inner ears or nerves going to the brain. Mixed hearing loss occurs from any combination of the causes of conductive and sensorinueral hearing loss. While this condition cannot be corrected fully, the hearing may be improved somewhat with hearing aids.  

Once the type of hearing loss has been diagnosed, it is also necessary to diagnose the severity to determine the best form of treatment. If the problem cannot be corrected, hearing aids from a company like Pacific Hearing Care are often the most practical choice to restore a portion of the child's hearing to some extent.

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