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Children
For Parents of Children with Hearing Loss
If you need to talk with other parents who have
children with hearing loss, we can help put you in touch with each other.
You can also attend our monthly chapter meetings to learn more about hearing
loss and the resources available to help you and your child. Just send us
an e-mail or provide us with your
contact information on our feedback/comments
page. A listing of local chapters and contact information is also provided
here.
Otitis Media - Common Cause of Hearing Loss in
Children
Commonly called middle ear infection, otitis media is one of the most common
medical problems of childhood and the chief cause of hearing loss in
children. Fortunately, the hearing loss is neither severe, nor is it
usually permanent; but such hearing loss may cause delays in development of the
child's language and intellectual skills. Surgical treatment, when
necessary, alleviates hearing loss and reduces both the number and the severity
of recurrent ear infections. Otitis media may be acute (an episodic
infection treated with antibiotics) or it can develop into a chronic type where
fluid fills the middle ear and requires surgical therapy.
Common signs of acute otitis media are pain and fever, though older children
often have chronic otitis media without these symptoms. Many children
develop otitis media with effusion (fluid in the middle ear) after acute otitis
media and others have recurrent acute otitis media. The ears clear between
episodes. A daily, low-dose antibiotic taken for several months may
prevent recurrent episodes. However, the emergence of resistant organisms
make this option less desirable. For more complete information on otitis
media, click
here to visit the website of the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research
Center at the University of Washington.
Other WWW Resources for Parents
Where
do we go from hear? For the newly diagnosed.
Voice for hearing impaired children
supports the Auditory Verbal method.
Listen up! & Talk it up! has
home therapy tips to make every day a learning experience.
The Speaker Page is
dedicated to childhood hearing loss. The author's son, James, affectionately
refers to his hearing aids as "Speakers"!
HIP is a magazine for hearing impaired
kids.
Deaf Education Option Web offers
links for parents considering different educational options.
Listen
& Talk in Seattle is a private, not for profit early intervention
program devoted to working with parents who want to teach their children with
hearing loss to listen and speak.
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