Hearing Problems in Children: Screening and Early Help

Most children hear and listen from birth, and learn to talk by imitating the sounds and voices around them. But about 2 or 3 of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard of hearing, and more lose hearing later in childhood.

Screening and timing

• Screen early: babies should have a hearing screening before they are a month old.
• Act early: if your child has hearing loss, consider hearing devices and other communication options by age 6 months — children start learning speech and language long before they talk.

Causes

Hearing problems can be temporary or permanent. Ear infections, injuries or diseases sometimes affect hearing.

If your child doesn't hear well, get help.

Sources

Based on "Hearing Problems in Children," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, drawing on the NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; a work of the United States government in the public domain.