{"id":89307,"date":"2019-05-24T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T16:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=89307"},"modified":"2019-05-24T11:04:02","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T16:04:02","slug":"hearing-loss-common-school-age-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/hearing-loss-common-school-age-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Hearing Loss Common in School-Age Children"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ashley Pryor (right), who earned a master’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from UM, conducts a hearing test with a young client in the Speech and Hearing Center. Photo by Kendrick Pittman<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 With close to 15 percent of American children ages 6-19 experiencing hearing loss, parents are urged to learn more about the sometimes-subtle signs of hearing loss, ways it can affect school-age children and where to find help during Better Hearing and Speech Month.<\/p>\n

“Some children are born with hearing loss, but it can also be acquired afterwards \u2013 from ear infections, illnesses, certain medications, noise exposure and a variety of other causes,” said Anne Williams, an audiologist at the University of Mississippi<\/a> Speech and Hearing Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“Those signs aren’t always immediately obvious to parents, but even mild hearing loss can have significant consequences for children in school. If parents have had concerns but haven’t sought a hearing evaluation yet, let Better Hearing and Speech Month \u2013 celebrated in May \u2013 be the time to take the next step.”<\/p>\n

Hearing loss can affect a child’s success in school in various ways. These include problems with language arts, vocabulary, reading, math and problem solving, as well as lower scores on achievement and verbal IQ tests. It also can contribute to social and behavioral problems inside and outside the classroom.<\/p>\n

“Hearing screenings are conducted periodically in schools, which is an important way that we identify children with hearing loss that may have gone unnoticed because it is less severe, late onset or misdiagnosed,” Williams said. “However, if a parent has any concern, they shouldn’t wait for periodic school screenings.<\/p>\n

“Children with mild to moderate hearing loss can achieve one to four grade levels lower, on average, than their peers with normal hearing \u2013 unless appropriate management occurs \u2013 making timely intervention critical.”<\/p>\n

To help a child with hearing loss reach his or her full academic potential, Williams advises parents to:<\/p>\n