Local News

Academic struggles for students may be because of hearing loss

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): As children and families prepare to head back to school for the year, there’s one more thing they should consider adding to their checklist: a hearing test.

“If your child was struggling in school last year or shows signs that they may have trouble
hearing, it’s a great idea to have their hearing checked,” said Dr. Charlotte Thompson, Au.D.

Because of virtual school options, it’s possible that mild to moderate hearing difficulty went
unnoticed in 2020.“If a student had full control of how loud or soft they were able to playback their classroom online, they have been able to more easily adapt to a hearing loss,” said Thompson. “Now that most schools are going back to in person, they will have less control of how they take in information and may begin to struggle.”

There are several signs that you should have a child’s hearing checked:
1. Slipping grades or struggling in school
2. Your child seems to hear fine some of the time and not respond other times, or
frequently asks you to repeat things
3. Your child plays the TV or music more loudly
4. If it seems like your child can only hear you when they are looking right at you
5. If it seems like your child is not paying attention to you, teachers, or during social
interactions

For children and teens, even a minor hearing loss can make a big difference in academics, socialrelationships and athletics. “Children are incredibly resilient,” said Thompson. “they easily adapt to situations and may be compensating for a hearing loss without even being aware of it.”

Thompson went on to explain that it can be very exhausting for a child to compensate regularly for their hearing loss and may become disengaged or disinterested in everyday activities.

“Often parents and teachers don’t realize that a child’s behavior may be a sign of hearing loss,” Thompson explained. “If parents suspect an issue, they should have their child evaluated by an audiologist. Audiologists have the tools and training to identify hearing loss, degrees of hearing loss, and can recommend solutions for children of any age. Hearing clinics are open and have detailed protocols and safety measures during the pandemic.”

If you find that you or a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss, GiveHear wants to help. Call 260.602.3276 to see if you qualify for reduced cost services, or get connected to additional audiology services in your area

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1 comment

Michael Gehan August 17, 2021 at 4:17 pm

This gives to reason why early childhood screening is very important. Here in North Texas, newborns are screened for 55 disorders, hearing is 1 of them. An Audiologist, by virtue of academic degree, clinical training, and license to practice, is qualified to provide guidance, development, implementation, and oversight of newborn hearing screening programs.

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