Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Hearing Assessment for Child with a Language Deficit | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My three-year-old son has a language deficit. How can it be determined if he has a hearing deficit and is not simply ignoring or being fixed on what he is doing when his name is called? He also has had ear infections in the past and chronic adenioditis.— KIDDS2 in Cleveland,OH | | | ANSWER |
December 21, 2001 | | | Dear KIDDS2,
This is a very important question. Any child who has a significant language deficit must have a complete hearing evaluation. The only professionals who can really do this are pediatric audiologists (hearing specialists). Regular doctors rarely have the equipment or training to perform a thorough assessment. Just seeing if a child responds to loud noises, bells tinkling behind his head, or having his name called is not an adequate test. If you have to travel to a large city to find a pediatric audiologist, then you should make the trip. Your child's medical insurance should pay for this.
Why is hearing so important? Because a child with hearing deficits has a much harder time learning language than does a child whose hearing has been helped by hearing aids. Sometimes, children with repeated ear infections develop hearing problems that require a surgeon to drain fluid from the middle ear. If this is the case (which your doctor can tell you), it is worthwhile to have the operation. Once a child is hearing better, language often improves quickly, and so do many of the behaviors that come along with hearing and language problems.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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