Hearing loss in kids can be frightening for parents to navigate, especially in the beginning, during the search for doctors, resources and information. If you have a child experiencing hearing loss, know you are not alone: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 32 million children worldwide are affected.
Unfortunately, WHO also reports that in many of those cases (60 percent), childhood hearing loss could have been prevented with timely, proper detection and treatment. Good hearing is vital for children’s speech and language development, so early detection and prevention of childhood hearing loss is an important issue.
To help underscore the importance of early detection and prevention of childhood hearing loss, today is WHO World Hearing Day, and independent charitable foundation Hear the World has you covered – the organization has developed a video and 33 helpful tips to help you learn more.
Hear the World Foundation’s selected top tips for parents include:
- Be proactive and ask for a newborn hearing screening: The earlier hearing loss is diagnosed and the children affected are provided with hearing aids, the better chances those children have of achieving their full potential and living a life without restrictions.
- Protect your child from everyday noise: Avoid spending long periods of time in noisy places and ensure that your child wears suitable hearing protection in loud environments. It is also important to make sure that children’s toys are not too loud and to teach your child about the permanent long-term damage noise can have on their hearing.
- Avoid medication that could damage hearing: There is a range of what are known as ototoxic medications available, which can cause damage to hearing. Find out from your physician what medication can cause ototoxicity and read the package insert before using medication.
You can find the full list of tips on the Hear the World website.
Hear the World is not a client of The Motherhood. We’re sharing this information as a means to spread the word about this important issue. The image above is courtesy the Hear the World press release.
