What is the most common cause of hearing loss in children under the age of seven?

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What you'll find on this page
Some possible signs of hearing loss in an infant or toddler
Ages and stages that children typically learn to listen and speak1
Some possible signs of hearing loss in a school-age child
What to do if you think your child has hearing loss
Find a Hearing Implant Specialist near you
What is the most common cause of hearing loss in the early childhood?
What causes hearing loss in 5 year old?
What are 2 things that can cause hearing problems in children?
What is the most common cause of hearing loss?

Do you think your child may have hearing loss? Here are the signs to look out for.

What you'll find on this page

Discover the signs of hearing loss in children
Understand key milestones for learning to listen and speak
Learn what to do if your child has hearing loss

The signs of hearing loss aren’t always obvious. Here are some of the things to look out for, plus a guide to hearing and speech development in young children.

“The day care mom would say, ‘I don’t know if she can hear me.’ Then my husband and I started watching for signs. We thought, maybe she has a little hearing deficit. We went to many doctors and also ENTs who basically either said, ‘It’s water,’ ‘It’s behavior’ or ‘Lots of kids don’t talk until later.’”

- Parents of Abigail M. - Nucleus® recipient

As Abigail's parents found, you may not know if your child has hearing loss – especially if they haven’t started talking yet. That's why it's important to understand the signs and symptoms now, so you can be prepared to take action if needed.

Some possible signs of hearing loss in an infant or toddler

Does not react to loud sounds
Does not seek out or detect where sound is coming from
Has stopped babbling and experimenting with making sounds
Still babbles but is not moving to more understandable speech
Does not react to voices, even when being held
Ear is missing or malformed at birth

Ages and stages that children typically learn to listen and speak1

Understanding hearing and speech development milestones can be helpful. Use these guidelines to better understand your child's progress:

Age	Hearing and understanding	Speech and language
Birth to three months	Startles at loud sounds Quiets or smiles when spoken to Seems to recognize a caregiver's voice and quiets if crying Changes sucking behavior in response to sound	Makes cooing sounds Cries differently for different needs Smiles when sees parent
4-6 months	Moves eyes in direction of sounds Responds to changes in tone of your voice Notices toys that make sounds Pays attention to music	Babbling sounds are becoming more speech-like Vocalizes excitement and displeasure Makes gurgling sounds when left alone and when playing with you
7 months-1 year	Enjoys games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake Turns to look in the direction of sounds Listens when spoken to Recognizes words for common items like "cup","shoe"	Babbling has both long and short groups of sounds such as "up-up" Uses speech or non-crying sound to get and keep attention Imitates different speech sounds Has one or two words ("bye-bye", "dada", "mama"), although they may not be clear
1-2 years	Points to a few body parts when asked Follows simple commands and understands simple questions Listens to simple stories, songs and rhymes Points to pictures in a book when named Begins to respond to requests ("Come here," "Want more?")	Says more words every month Uses one- to two-word questions ("where kitty?") Puts two words together (“more cookie”) Uses many different consonant sounds at the beginning of words

Remember that some children with normal hearing may reach those milestones later. If you have any concerns, you should speak to your child’s health care professional as soon as possible.

Some possible signs of hearing loss in a school-age child

Does not follow simple commands, such as “get your shoes,” or understand simple directions
Is easily frustrated or experiences communication breakdowns
Is falling behind with speech and communication skills
Cannot understand what you are saying unless they are looking directly at you
Cannot identify where sounds are coming from
Is exhausted at the end of school from concentrating to understand speech
Shows signs of behavioral problems or social difficulties
Experiences problems keeping up at school or grades slipping

What to do if you think your child has hearing loss

Get their hearing tested by a hearing health professional who specializes in all types of hearing solutions, including hearing implants. Even if traditional hearing aids can’t help your child, they may benefit from other hearing solutions, such as cochlear implants and bone conduction implants.

Find a Hearing Implant Specialist near you

Disclaimer

Please seek advice from your medical practitioner or health professional about treatments for hearing loss. They will be able to advise on a suitable solution for the hearing loss condition. All products should be used only as directed by your medical practitioner or health professional. Not all products are available in all countries. Please contact your local Cochlear representative.

Views expressed by Cochlear recipients and hearing health providers are those of the individual. Consult your hearing health provider to determine if you are a candidate for cochlear technology and to understand the associated risks and benefits. Individual results may vary.

ACE, Advance Off-Stylet, AOS, AutoNRT, Autosensitivity, Beam, Button, CareYourWay, Carina, Cochlear, 科利耳, コクレア, Cochlear SoftWear, Codacs, ConnectYourWay, Contour, Contour Advance, Custom Sound, ESPrit, Freedom, Hear now. And always, HearYourWay, Hugfit, Hybrid, Invisible Hearing, Kanso, MET, MicroDrive, MP3000, myCochlear, mySmartSound, NRT, Nucleus, Off-Stylet, Slimline, SmartSound, Softip, SPrint, True Wireless, the elliptical logo, WearYourWay and Whisper are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Cochlear Limited. Ardium, Baha, Baha SoftWear, BCDrive, DermaLock, EveryWear, Vistafix, and WindShield are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB.

References

Speech and Language Developmental Milestones [Internet]. NIDCD. 2018 [cited 13 September 2018]. Available from: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/speech-and-language

What is the most common cause of hearing loss in the early childhood?

Fluctuating conductive hearing loss nearly always occurs with all types of otitis media. In fact it is the most common cause of hearing loss in young children. How common is otitis media? Otitis media is the most frequently diagnosed disease in infants and young children (1).

What causes hearing loss in 5 year old?

Young children can lose their hearing after they get some illnesses, including meningitis, encephalitis, measles, chickenpox, and the flu. Head injuries, very loud noises, and some medications can also cause hearing loss. Read more about meningitis and hearing loss, as well as other causes of hearing loss in children.

What are 2 things that can cause hearing problems in children?

Hearing loss in children can be present at birth (congenital) or develop later in childhood (acquired). Congenital hearing loss can be hereditary (genetic) or caused by infections during pregnancy, including infection with cytomegalovirus or rubella.

What is the most common cause of hearing loss?

Loud noise is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. Noise from lawn mowers, snow blowers, or loud music can damage the inner ear, resulting in permanent hearing loss. Loud noise also contributes to tinnitus.