The faster hearing loss is detected, the more likely it is that due to treatment or surgical hearing replacement, the preschooler will master the speech and will be able to improve and learn in accordance with the norm.
Classification of hearing loss in a child:
A deaf person does not hear the conversation around and when using hearing devices. Children with deafness study in specialized organizations and schools. Deafness has four degrees in connection with the threshold of captured sounds. People who are hard of hearing talking around hear with difficulty, need hearing instruments.
Pathogenesis
Without exception, hearing pathologies are divided into three categories:
- hereditary;
- natural;
- received.
Deafness, in turn, is divided into conductive, which is accompanied by pathologies of the sound-conducting system, and neurosensory, characterized by the fact that the sound-sensing system is damaged.
Adverse conditions that provoke the appearance of deafness and hearing loss are:
- severe maternal pregnancy in a given period of the pathology of the neonatal stage;
- viral infections;
- infection by infections;
- ENT diseases;
- the use of toxic drugs during pregnancy, which requires early diagnosis of hearing in newborns.
The reaction to sounds in newborns occurs 2-3 weeks after birth. Walking goes into babbling after 4-5 months. If the father and mother have doubts that the child does not respond to sounds, the walks fade over time without switching to babbling, and speech development stops at a later age, parents are obliged to immediately inform their local pediatrician or otolaryngologist.
Causes
Experts talk about the following causes of pathology:
- Hearing impairment can be transmitted from father, mother and other relatives. In addition, hearing problems can occur over several generations through recessive genes.
- Genetic disorders, a variety of mutations. They can occur as a result of the wrong lifestyle of one or both parents, poor ecology, environmental pollution, as well as abuse of parents by alcohol, nicotine, or narcotic and psychotropic substances.
- Wrong lifestyle of expectant mother during pregnancy. Smoking, alcohol, drugs, in some cases eating junk food or decreased activity can lead to pathologies.
- Diseases transferred during pregnancy can also affect the development of the baby’s hearing.
- Birth injuries, improperly performed cesarean can adversely affect the health of the newborn. Diseases, infections transferred in the first months of life can adversely affect a child’s hearing.
- Adenoids are a trifle that causes a lot of discomfort to the child and a lot of trouble for his parents. If adenoids are detected by the otolaryngologist, they must be removed in a timely manner, after which the child will have problems with the auditory organ.
Symptoms
Hearing impairment is very closely intertwined with a delay in intellectual or psychological development, because, not hearing most of the sounds and / or not knowing how to reproduce them, the child does not perceive the world adequately, react to certain things and just communicate with peers.
To prevent further hearing impairment and prevent developmental abnormalities, it is necessary to consult a specialist as soon as possible. So, the symptoms of hearing loss in a child:
- In the first weeks and months of a newborn’s life, diagnosing any disorder is unusually difficult. The development of children occurs in different ways, but if the baby within three to four weeks has never reacted to the mother’s voice or does not flinch at a loud noise, you should contact a pediatrician.
- If the child does not reproduce any sounds for up to five months, then this is a dangerous symptom. Perhaps he does not hear anything.
- Again, if up to a year the baby does not try to say words, reproduce sounds similar to speech, this is a very bad symptom that speaks of hearing loss, deafness, in some cases adenoids and a delay in development associated with all this.
- If a small child tries to reproduce sounds by babbling or in any other way, but he has developmental delays or impaired development, it is necessary to consult a doctor (because developmental delay may occur due to hearing impairment).
- Interrogation, response only to loud speech - symptoms of hearing impairment in older children.
Hearing loss
Hearing loss is a loss of hearing organ functionality that is directly related to the occurrence of certain difficulties in the perception of the human voice and is associated with a reduction in vocabulary.
- The conductive type of hearing loss is directly related to the occurrence of obstacles to the perception and transmission of sound (sounds). Sounds of the surrounding world are not transmitted through the auditory canal from the middle inner ear. A common example: accumulation of earwax in the ear canal, deformation or trauma of the eardrum, the development of inflammation in the ear canal.
- The sensorineural type of hearing loss is caused by a general decrease in the functionality of the hearing organs, due to the occurrence and development of diseases of the auditory nerve channel or one of the hearing departments in the human cerebral cortex. The root cause of this variety is a complication of the disease of viral diseases (groups), the development of pathological diseases of the cardiovascular system, systematic exposure to stressful situations and nervous exhaustion, constant presence in a noisy environment.
- A mixed type of hearing loss is caused by the loss of hearing function in case of head injuries, after prolonged use of medications, complications of inflammatory processes in the hearing organs, transferred ear diseases. A mixed type of hearing loss is often manifested due to the impact on the organs of hearing of vibrations and loud monotonous noises, after suffering hypertension, atherosclerosis. At an advanced age, a mixed type of hearing loss is caused by a reduced blood supply to the hearing organs.
Deafness
Deafness is a decrease in the functioning of the hearing organs, in which the independent development of the speech apparatus is impossible. Deafness is a complex form of hearing impairment, as it often manifests itself in children from birth and carries a number of complications for the social adaptation of children. The occurrence of deafness occurs due to genetic heredity or the appearance of pathologies in the perinatal period of development of the baby.
Pathologies of phonemic hearing in babies
Phonemic hearing impairment in children is called dyslalia. With this disease, a person can not pronounce sounds correctly, while mixing occurs, and this is somewhat reminiscent of the speech of a three-year-old child. But in children of this age, such speech is considered the norm. You can talk about the disease if it does not change after four years.
The main signs of impaired phonemic hearing in children are:
- replacement of sounds;
- skipping sounds in your speech or rearranging them;
- weak separation of sounds (often replacing "w" with "c").
Causes of Dyslalia
The causes of the violation can be:
- immunodeficiency;
- infectious diseases;
- thyroid problems;
- bad influence of society;
- unfavorable example (parents with speech impairments).
Diagnosis of hearing loss in a child is carried out by several specialists. Dyslalia treatment should be comprehensive. In addition to neurologists, parents, teachers and speech therapists participate. Various drugs stimulate the brain and increase memory.
Most often, doctors prescribe "Pantogam" to increase efficiency and stimulate the central nervous system. To relieve stress and improve sleep, Glycine is prescribed, Phenibut is used to eliminate fear, Cortexin is used in case of head injuries. It is also necessary to adjust the diet. At this time, according to existing methods, there is a development of phonemic hearing.
Treatment of pathology of hearing in babies
The treatment of hearing loss in a child occurs using the following methods:
- Pharmaceuticals
- The established methods of an audiological and speech therapy nature.
- Constant exercises of auditory and speech development.
- The use of hearing aids.
- Advice from a neuropsychiatrist to stabilize the nervous system and psychological sphere of babies.
Logopedic work
Speech therapy activities in children with hearing impairment in preschool children play an important role, since speech pathologies associated with pronunciation are traced in hearing-impaired children. Speech therapists conduct training in such a way as to improve articulation and achieve a natural pronunciation of words and phrases. At the same time, various logopedic technologies of a general nature are applied and specially selected, taking into account the individual characteristics of the kids.
There are several procedures that are used in pathologies of the auditory canal in order to improve its functioning. These include specialized breathing exercises, as well as with the tongue, jaws, lips, smile and puffing.
Prevention
The most common causes of hearing loss in children are heredity, negative environmental factors, the wrong lifestyle of parents and past illnesses.
Based on this list, conclusions can be drawn on how to protect the child from hearing problems. Nothing can be done with heredity - you can only protect the child by undergoing frequent medical examinations and timely diagnosis of disorders.
During the planning of the child, it is also necessary to take care of his health, that is:
- start a healthy lifestyle;
- drink vitamins;
- register at the family planning center;
- take tests.
Other measures
In order not to injure the auricle of the newborn, it is necessary to properly clean the ears. Do not clean your ears too often - it can do much harm, because in small amounts earwax protects the auricle from an aggressive environment.
When the baby grows up, it is necessary to teach him to properly clean his ears and control this process for at least several months.
Protect your child from getting water in your ears while taking a bath, shower, or bathing in a pond. Control your child during games - do not let him stick small sharp objects into his ears.
Timely vaccinations are an indirect protection against speech impairment in a child (since many vaccinations prevent the development of diseases that cause complications in the hearing aid).
And most importantly, as already indicated, at the slightest suspicion, immediately consult a specialist. Indeed, at an early stage, it is much easier to cure a disease than its neglected form.