ACADEMIC DECLINE COULD BE A SIGN OF HEARING LOSS

SUBMITTED BY THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF AUDIOLOGY

Children with hearing loss may struggle with their studies and may not be properly diagnosed

As children across the U.S. head back to school, the American Academy of Audiology recommends that parents and teachers pay close attention to children's hearing ability. Education is primarily delivered through auditory input and even a mild hearing loss can impact a child's success in school.

Children with untreated hearing loss use more cognitive energy to understand what is being said or may appear to not be paying attention because they are missing what was said. A drop in academic performance could be a sign of hearing loss. According to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, about two to three out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born with a detectable level of hearing loss in one or both ears. The total number of children with some type of hearing loss is unknown and many cases may go undiagnosed.

While most infants' hearing is tested within hours of birth, hearing loss can be progressive and start in early childhood. In addition, ear infections and exposure to loud sounds as well as various illness can cause hearing loss. The American Academy of Audiology recommends that any parents concerned with an otherwise unexplained decline in their children's academic performance or any sign of hearing loss should take them to an audiolo

gist to have their hearing tested.

"Because children often don't realize they are missing information and may not communicate hearing difficulties, issues with auditory accessibility may go undetected," cautioned Virginia Ramachandran, Au.D., Ph.D., president of the American Academy of Audiology. "A child with minimal hearing loss may be missing a significant amount of the classroom discussion."

Children identified as having a learning disability may actually have untreated hearing loss. Hearing loss should always be ruled out when there are academic and speech and language issues. "We want to treat the hearing loss first since untreated hearing loss can disrupt all aspects of educational success," Ramachandran added.

In addition, a growing number of young adults are experiencing hearing loss from the use of personal listening devices and exposure to loud entertainment. In a study in the BMJ Global Health Journal in November 2022, researchers reported on hearing loss in young adults 12-34 years of age due to PLD’s and loud entertainment venues, and concluded that more than 1 billion young people worldwide may be at risk of hearing loss. 

Hearing loss in children and young adults can lead to behavioral issues, lack of focus, even depression. Children with hearing loss often don't recognize that they can't hear and parents may not know the signs.