Does My Baby Have Hearing Loss?

It can be difficult to tell if young children have hearing loss, but it’s important to know. Hearing is an essential part of social, emotional and cognitive development in young children. Even mild hearing loss can be enough to have an effect on your child’s ability to develop speech and language. Luckily, if you can catch problems early on, they can be overcome before they cause a problem. What signs should you be looking for?

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Causes of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss can be a birth defect or it can be caused later on. Hearing loss can occur in premature babies, babies born with newborn jaundice or babies with a family history of hearing loss. Some medications can cause hearing loss, as can birth complications, loud noises or infections. Hearing health is important to protect, so know the causes and try to avoid them. 

Symptoms Of Hearing Loss

All newborns should have a hearing test before they leave the hospital. If they don’t pass, then they should be tested gain within three months, in case debris or fluid in the ear caused the failure, rather than hearing loss. After these tests, there are signs to watch out for yourself, although children should continue to have hearing tests at regular intervals between the ages of 4 and 10 to learn more about their hearing. 

For newborns, note their reaction to sudden loud noises, as even newborns should jump at these. By 3 months, they should be able to recognize your voice. At 6 months, most babies will be able to turn their eyes towards the sound of a noise. By 12 months, they should be imitating sounds and starting to produce a few words, like ‘Dada’ or ‘bye’. 

For toddlers, you can look out for limited speech or difficulty learning. Your toddler might be appear to be attentive, or frequently ask for music or the television to be turned up louder. They might fail to respond in conversation, or to their name and might become easily frustrated when there is a lot of background noises. 

If you notice these signs, don’t want for child’s next hearing screen and make an appointment with your Doctor. They can refer you to a pediatric audiologist who will test their hearing to identify if there is a problem and how best to deal with it. If there is hearing loss, don’t panic. There are lots of ways to help. 

There are some surgeries and medical treatments that can help with hearing loss, but the most common solution is hearing aids. Technology in hearing aids is improving all the time, so they are now even smaller than ever, making them suitable for even very young children. They can be fitted comfortably, helping your child to hear properly, allowing them to catch up to their peers with their learning and development. 

Make sure to protect their hearing, by not exposing them to prolonged loud noises, and using earplugs and ear defenders when appropriate.

FAQ About Work Accidents And What To Do Next

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If you have been injured while at work, you may be wondering what your rights are and what you should do next. In this blog post, we aim to give you a helping hand by revealing some of the answers to some of the most common questions that people have about workplace incidents and the steps that they should take. You should also make sure that you have your injury treated properly and if you need help getting the right support then check out workers comp doctor to find a doctor with experience treating accident-related injuries. Continue reading to discover more and get the answers you need!

How long do I have to make a claim? You have three years. This is the time limit on all personal injury cases, and it starts from the date of the accident you were involved in. These time limits are very strict, and there are very few exceptions. The only exceptions relate to injuries that occur over time and thus pinpointing an accident date is impossible. Common examples of this include industrial diseases, repetitive strain injury (RSI), hearing loss and vibration white finger. In these cases, you will have three years from the date of your diagnosis instead. After all, with cases like hearing loss, you will often be claiming against an ex-employer. So, claiming usually happens during the hearing aid fitting process. You can learn more about this online.

Can my employer fire me for making a claim against him/her? Quite simply, no. If they were to sack you, they would only cause much more trouble for themselves. This is because you would then have grounds for unfair dismissal. It will further help your attorney to strengthen your case; click here for more information.

It is vital to recognize that all employers are required to provide a safe and healthy working environment by law. They are also legally required to have insurance in place. Thus, if they are to blame for your suffering, they will recognize that you deserve compensation, and they will also have an insurance policy in place to cover the costs. 

Will I have to go to court? While we cannot say for sure, it is highly unlikely. In fact, did you know that fewer than three percent of personal injury cases end up going to trial? 

How do I make a claim? This is something legal experts will need to help you with. If you take the time to read reviews online, you should be able to find the best professional for your requirements who can give you the assistance you need. Do not rush into this decision, though – take the time to select wisely.

Can I claim against an old employer? – When it comes to claiming after an accident at work in your area, a lot of people find that they are claiming against an old employer. This is especially in relation to industrial hearing loss and industrial diseases, as these often take a while to develop and can be traced back to old working environments.

Do I need to tell my employer about the accident? Yes – this is crucial. By law, all employers are required to have an accident book, and you will need to record the incident in this.

Why Your Hearing Health Is a Lot More Important Than You Might Think

Despite our hearing being an important sense for our everyday wellbeing, most people don’t get regular checkups with their audiologist compared to a general physician or even their dentist. This causes a lot of people to either overlook or underestimate the importance of their hearing health. This can cause a wide variety of problems in the future, especially if you’re not being careful with your hearing health. So in this article, we’re going to talk about why your hearing health is a lot more important than you might first think.

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Hearing affects us in more ways than you think

Many people assume that hearing is just about the sounds we perceive, and this is true to some extent. However, it’s also important to consider what hearing does for us in social situations and how it actually improves our well-being.

A good example would be the way that our bodies use our sense of sound to balance ourselves. People with hearing loss often find that it’s difficult to gain a sense of balance after getting up from a lying or sitting position. This is because hearing loss can cause issues with our vestibular system which results in a poorer sense of balance.

Another good example would be how we approach social situations. People with hearing loss will find that it’s difficult to maintain conversations in noisy areas, such as a social gathering. This can cause them to feel embarrassed when they ask someone to repeat themselves and could lead to social isolation in some cases.

As you can see, hearing loss can affect us in more ways than you might think. This isn’t a comprehensive list of everything that could happen, but it’s a good idea of what you can expect to experience if you have hearing loss.

Hearing loss is irreversible yet completely preventable in most cases

Hearing loss typically happens when you expose yourself to loud sounds for a long period of time. For example, if you work on a construction site with a lot of heavy machinery and neglect to wear hearing protection, then you’ll find that your hearing will suffer over a period of time. This is something that is completely preventable if you take the right cautionary measures and learn more about the level of noise that could cause hearing loss.

There are also conditions such as tinnitus that could have a long-term effect on your well-being. Described as a constant high-pitched whine or buzz, tinnitus is an incredibly frustrating sound to cope with and often stems from damage to the nerves in your ear. It’s for this reason that it’s commonly associated with hearing loss.

While there could be some relief from hearing loss and tinnitus, they are largely irreversible. However, these conditions are completely preventable in most cases unless your hearing loss is caused by a genetic condition. As such, it’s best that you practice preventative measures to reduce the chances that you’ll suffer from hearing loss in the future.