{"id":6942,"date":"2021-01-15T19:28:22","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T00:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/?p=6942"},"modified":"2021-04-22T19:27:06","modified_gmt":"2021-04-22T23:27:06","slug":"understanding-childhood-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/understanding-childhood-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Childhood Hearing Loss"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A diagnosis of childhood hearing loss usually prompts a lot of questions and concerns from parents. While it\u2019s totally normal to feel overwhelmed, rest assured that your child\u2019s audiologist is there to support you every step of the way. To get you started, we\u2019ve compiled an overview of information about childhood hearing loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Childhood Hearing Loss Common?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Children<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unclear exactly how many children in the U.S. and around the world have hearing loss. In a 1998 study called \u201cPrevalence of Hearing Loss Among Children 6 to 19 Years of Age<\/a>,\u201d researchers examined national population-based cross-sectional surveys, in-person interviews and audiometric testing from 6,166 children. They found that 14.9% of children had hearing loss of at least 16 decibels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the World Health Organization<\/a>, approximately 60% of cases of childhood hearing loss are due to preventable causes, and about 1.1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss caused by noise exposure in recreational settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Causes Childhood Hearing Loss?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Babies can be born with hearing loss, known as congenital hearing loss, or the condition can develop later in life<\/a>, which is called acquired hearing loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congenital Hearing Loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Congenital hearing loss may be caused by genetic factors or non-genetic factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genetic factors include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n