Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Treatment

A few causes of hearing loss are treatable in infants and children. If a child has a temporary loss of hearing due to an ear infection, fluid behind the eardrum or excessive wax in the ear canal, it is likely that their pediatrician or otolaryngologist, an ear, nose and throat specialist, can successfully treat the condition. Other cases of hearing loss are caused by problems with the bone structures in the middle ear and these sometimes can be treated surgically when a child is older, around 7 to 9 years old.

Permanent Hearing Loss

In infants and children, sensorineural hearing loss — typically permanent hearing loss that is the result of a disorder affecting the inner ear, called the cochlea, or the nerve that transmits auditory signals, called the auditory nerve — usually cannot be medically or surgically treated, but can be managed successfully with help from an audiologist and other experts. In addition, it is imperative that doctors fully evaluate children with hearing impairment for other disorders, including visual or kidney defects.

There are many options in the management of permanent hearing loss, and your audiologist will provide you with information and resources to help you make the best decisions for your child. Some of these options include:

• Amplification
• Communication options, such as oral language, sign language or a combination of both
• Educational options, such as programs emphasizing listening and speaking, sign language or a combination
• Speech and language therapy

There is no correct choice when it comes to managing your child's hearing loss. The pediatric audiologists at UCSF Children's Hospital will help you make choices with all the information possible. It's important to remember that the choices you make for your child may change as your child develops.

Corrective Options

Hearing aids and cochlear implants are two options available for some children, depending on their degree of hearing loss.

In general, children with mild to severe hearing loss are candidates for using hearing aids. For more information on hearing aids, please read Hearing Aids.

If your child has a severe to profound hearing loss and doesn't obtain adequate benefit from hearing aids, he or she may be a candidate for a cochlear implant. To learn more, please visit the Cochlear Implant section.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007