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Although we can often define what things will be like during pregnancy, there are cases where no one can control or even predict . One of them, in particular, is when the baby is born with some type of disability, as in the case of hearing impairment in babies.
Regardless of what the cause is, it is important to know how to proceed in situations like this, since most people have never been there and do not know what to do. Some people are born with certain disabilities and, although it is difficult to deal with, you need to learn, especially when it comes to your child.
First Signs
One of the most difficult things to detect is when your baby is born with a hearing impairment. Of course, there are exams and tests that you can do yourself to see if the baby suffers from this type of problem or not, but the ideal is always to have a medical follow-up that will tell you if there really is a problem, how serious it is and how to proceed in this situation.
How to Know if the Baby Has Hearing Impairment?
Normally, a baby’s hearing impairment is first detected by the mother , for a very clear reason, since she is the one who spends the longest time with her child, so she is also the most likely to see if there is something wrong with her. some of the son’s senses.
Ear Test
Since 2010, a law has obliged maternities to perform the “little ear test” , which is nothing less than a screening that will indicate whether the baby has a problem with the auditory system.
The test should be done even in the child’s first days of life , so that any problem that occurs can be reversed, if possible. Failure to pass the test does not mean that the baby has a hearing impairment, but that the mother needs to be attentive or see an otorhinolaryngologist to make a more accurate check of the child.
But in addition to the ear test, it is always important to be attentive to the child’s behavior to see if there is anything strange or abnormal. From 3 or 4 months of age, for example, a baby starts to smile when hearing the parents’ voice.
Failure to do so may be a sign that there is a problem with the child’s hearing. In addition, it is also at about this age that the child starts to move his head when he hears his own name , this is another one that needs to be paid attention to.
It is worth remembering that these home tests serve to raise suspicions , but they are not an accurate diagnosis, so if you notice that your baby is not responding to auditory stimuli, take him to the doctor as soon as possible for a more accurate assessment.
What Causes Hearing Impairment?
There is not just one cause for children who are born with a hearing impairment. In Brazil, the main cause for this type of problem is due to infections occurring during pregnancy , especially if they have been poorly treated. Diseases and problems common to newborns can cause the child to become disabled as well. That is why having the vaccines up to date is so important. We can also list other types of causes, such as:
- Nonpartum Problems ;
- Bacterial;
- Premature Delivery ;
- Otitis;
- Certain types of Antibiotics
Each of these causes can cause hearing loss at different levels, which also requires different types of treatments.
Treatment for Hearing Impaired Babies
The first thing to check is the child’s disability level . The type of treatment for each of the levels can vary, so it is important to have medical follow-up from the beginning of the problem. We can list the levels of hearing impairment in:
- Mild Hearing Impairment
- Modern Hearing Impairment
- Severe Hearing Impairment
- Profound Hearing Impairment
Knowing this, we can begin to think about what kind of treatment the baby will need to undergo. For deficiencies between mild and severe, the use of the hearing aid can help to considerably improve the child’s perception of sound.
Communication Alternatives
In the case of profound hearing loss, it is most recommended that the child begin to learn alternative ways of communicating as quickly as possible. The presence of a speech therapist in these cases is essential, since it is this type of doctor who can help the child to adapt to the world.
Having the ability to speak a few words, do lip reading and, of course, learn pounds, the sign language that will be very important in your life. After all, it is possible for hearing impaired children to communicate with the world and have an absolutely normal life.
The Importance of the Hearing Aid
The hearing aid is an indispensable item for several types of hearing impairment. In order for it to be placed, it is necessary to have a surgery called a cochlear implant, which is popularly known as a bionic ear.
This equipment can replace the function of some cells that stimulate the auditory nerve and can recreate sounds for the person who uses it. Considered one of the greatest advances in medicine for the hearing impaired, the device certainly helps to improve the quality of life of those who have this type of disability at some level.
When to Put the Hearing Aid
It is recommended that this surgery be done on babies between 1 and 2 years old . This is because it is an age when the child’s body is already prepared to receive the device and, the sooner it is implanted, the easier it will be to develop the child’s communication. Usually, a child who has this device can lead a healthy and normal life like the others, of course always with some special care.
Is there Prevention for Hearing Impairment?
It is difficult to talk about prevention for any type of disability. Of course, we can list some actions that can be taken. A good medical monitoring during pregnancy , for example, can prevent any type of infection and, consequently, also prevent the child from having hearing loss.
Performing all tests as soon as the baby has just been born, in addition to having the vaccines up to date, are other ways to prevent and reduce the chances of your child having a problem.
However, there are cases where the problem is genetic or caused by a poor formation of cells where there is no type of prevention . In such cases, good medical monitoring is necessary for parents to know what to do.
A child who is born deaf may have a completely normal life and grow up healthy, but it depends a lot on the effort of the parents. It is clear that both the child and the parents will encounter difficulties and will have to go beyond normal to ensure healthy growth, but this does not mean that the child’s social or intellectual development needs to be affected.
Unfortunately, certain disabilities are part of the world in which we live and, while we have not found a way to reverse this situation, the best thing to do is to accept and learn to live with it, realizing the best way to adapt and live.
See also: Braille – The Words at the Fingertips
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
