Can Hearing Loss Affect Your Student's Academic Performance?

You’ve probably known that poor vision can lead to bad academic performance. After all, how can you learn if you can’t see the board? While you may have remedied this for your child by having them sit closer to the front of the class and getting them glasses. Did you know that their hearing can also play a factor in their learning?

What is the connection between hearing loss and performing poorly in school?

Children with even a moderate level of hearing loss may find themselves struggling academically. According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, these students achieve one-to-four grade levels lower on average than students with normal levels of hearing.

Consider how you learn via hearing. Your ear and auditory nerve convert sound waves into information that you can process and remember, which makes it extremely vital for learning to read and pick up new words. With this process interrupted, subjects like reading and math which require a lot of verbal instruction can become difficult.

What are common causes of pediatric hearing loss?

Hearing loss in general can be due to a number of genetic and environmental factors. These can include:

• Family history of hearing loss
• Earwax buildup
• Ear infections
• Constant noise exposure

As a result, your child’s treatment method will depend primarily on the cause.

How can my child’s hearing be improved?

Ear infections such as otitis media can be treated with over-the-counter pain medication and antibiotics if the cause is bacterial in nature. Persistent ear infections in children can be mitigated with ear tubes to help decrease the incidence of ear infections and improve hearing.

While earwax is not entirely bad to have in your ear, as it provides hygienic benefits, too much can decrease your child’s hearing. Their ENT provider can remove excessive earwax if it is excessive and causing hearing loss.

For noise-induced hearing loss and genetic hearing loss you may need to consider hearing aids for your child. After having a hearing test conducted by an audiologist, your child’s ENT physician can recommend multiple hearing aid options customized to their needs and comfort.

Can cochlear implants help my child’s hearing and school performance?

Another option for children with severe hearing loss that cannot be helped with hearing aids is a cochlear implant. This surgical procedure stimulates the cochlear nerve and restores hearing with candidates being as young as nine months old. By identifying and treating severe hearing loss in infancy a child's life can be dramatically changed with cochlear implantation. Take a moment to look up videos from the internet of infants hearing voices for the first time with cochlear implants

As Dr. Nicholas Stowell, a CEENTA otolaryngologist out of our Concord office, emphasizes, "Early detection is key and if you as a parent suspect that your child is struggling with their hearing please schedule an appointment with CEENTA to have a hearing test done for your child no matter the age."

When your child cannot hear well, they can struggle academically. That’s why CEENTA relies on the collaborative expertise of board-certified ENT physicians and audiologists to determine the cause of your child’s hearing loss and suggest customized treatment methods, including surgery, hearing aids and even cochlear implants. For an A+ hearing care experience, schedule your child’s appointment with CEENTA today by calling 704-295-3300.

This blog is for informational purposes only. For specific medical questions, please consult your doctor. New patients can make an appointment online with any of our ENT doctors in North and South Carolina. Current patients can also make appointments through myCEENTAchart with physicians they have already seen.