While many of us believe that hearing loss comes along once we hit a certain age bracket, it’s important to know that hearing loss challenges can affect anyone of any age – including children.
Genetics, infections, and medication side effects can contribute to hearing loss challenges in children and noise exposure, which has risen to become the second-most common cause of hearing loss challenges.
When we think of “noise-induced hearing loss,” quite often we think of a sudden, loud explosion of noise that physically damages the eardrum; while that is one way noise-induced hearing loss can happen, quite often, noise-induced hearing loss occurs gradually, with prolonged loud noise exposure over a loud period.
How long do your children spend sitting in crowded school lunchrooms, sitting with headphones on listening to music or playing games? While nobody wants to be the uncool parent and tell their kids to turn the volume down, it could make or break your kid’s hearing health.
Volume + Duration = Damage
We measure noise in decibels (dB). At 85 dB, our ears are safe, but any amount of noise over that can damage our ears. Apple AirPods Max, one of the best-selling earphones on the market, can produce a maximum volume of approximately 100 dB; just 20 minutes of exposure can cause serious damage.
Even if a child doesn’t show signs of damage at the moment, noise exposure could catch up with them later in life; a study published in 2017 by the CDC states that “hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition in the United States.”
While hearing loss could be the cause for why your child isn’t paying as much attention as they used to or isn’t responding when you call them down for dinner, there could be other reasons for their sudden loss of attention. We’re happy to look at your child’s ears to see if hearing loss challenges are the culprit.
Concerned about Your Child’s Hearing?
As parents, we understand how anxiety-inducing it is to think that your child’s health is at risk. If you’re concerned about your child’s hearing, our team at Flex Audiology is happy to help you and your child with a pediatric hearing assessment.
We make the experience as stress-free and relaxing as possible for your child, and we make sure that the appointment is tailored with your child in mind to ensure that they are comfortable, and we can get the best results.
To discuss pediatric audiology with us, please feel free to request a callback, and we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we can.
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