Hearing Loss

Treatment of Children

The most important aspect of treatment of hearing loss in children is early detection, before a baby is 6 months old. Older toddlers and infants who are at greater risk of hearing loss should be screened every six months until age 3 and, if necessary, at regular intervals thereafter.

Hearing screening

Two diagnostic procedures are used to gather information about a child's hearing: otoacoustic emissions and, in a few instances, an auditory brainstem response.

Toddler hearing screening methods use behavioral techniques to determine the nature and degree of hearing impairment.

• Visual reinforcement audiometry. The child is trained to turn his or her head in the direction of the sound source by receiving a reward of lighting or activating an animated toy.
• Conditioned play audiometry. Children are trained to perform a play activity, such as dropping a block in a bucket, whenever they hear a sound. The threshold of hearing can then be determined by decreasing the intensity of the sounds.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Some children can have hearing loss caused by prenatal infections, genetic factors or other problems. Sensorineural hearing loss cannot be cured with medicine or surgery, but hearing aids and other devices can help children hear and develop speech and language.

Cochlear implants

Some children with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss may be good candidates for cochlear implants.

Treatment team

Hearing disorders are treated by pediatric specialists in otolaryngology and audiology at Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona and Minnesota.