Pediatric Hearing Screening in Winter Park, FL

Pediatric hearing tests measure how well your baby or child can hear a range of sounds. These tests are important to detect hearing problems that your child was born with or developed during childhood. As hearing problems during infancy and childhood can lead to a range of other issues, such as a delay in talking and undeveloped social skills, it’s important to identify and address any hearing impairments as early as possible.

The most common hearing problem that affects children is conductive hearing loss. This condition occurs when sound waves are unable to travel efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones (ossicles) of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss can be temporary or permanent, depending on the underlying cause.
 
One of the most frequent causes of conductive hearing loss in children is ear infections. Fluid accumulation in the middle ear due to infection can prevent sound from being conducted properly. Chronic or repeated ear infections can lead to more significant hearing issues.
 
In addition, conductive hearing loss can be caused by earwax buildup, eardrum perforation, and congenital deformities of the outer or middle ear. Aside from conductive hearing loss, other common hearing issues that affect children include sensorineural hearing loss, auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, and central auditory processing disorder.

Some of the signs that your newborn or infant has hearing problems include:
 
– The ear is malformed at birth
– Not getting startled by loud noises
– Not recognizing their parent’s voices by 3 months of age
– Not imitating sounds or simple words by 12 months of age
 
In toddlers, common signs of hearing loss include:
 
– Abnormal or delayed speech
– Difficulty hearing over background noise
– Not reacting to loud sounds or their name being called
– Difficulty paying attention in conversations
 
With school-aged children, signs of hearing problems to watch out for include:
 
– Delayed speech or communication skills
– Experiences communication breakdowns and learning difficulties
– Has difficulty understanding instructions unless they are looking at you
– Expresses tiredness from concentrating to understand speech
– Says “what” or “huh” frequently
 
If you notice any of these signs in your infant or child, schedule a visit with their pediatrician to have their hearing assessed.

If you have concerns about your child’s hearing and would like them to be evaluated, you should schedule a visit with your child’s pediatrician. The pediatrician may perform an initial examination of your child’s ears to check for any visible issues, such as earwax buildup or signs of infection. If the initial screening raises further concerns, the pediatrician will schedule a comprehensive screening or refer you to a specialist.
 
At Kidswood Pediatrics in Winter Park, Florida, our team provides comprehensive hearing assessments to promptly identify issues with your child’s ears. Based on the results of the assessment, the specialist will discuss the findings and the treatment options with you.

Hearing tests can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete, depending on the age of the child and the type of hearing test performed. In most cases, the appointment will be an hour or shorter.
 
Typically, for children six months of age or younger, the hearing test is performed while they are asleep. The pediatrician will provide you with specific instructions on how to prepare when you book the appointment.
 
If you have a toddler or a school-aged child, you can prepare them for their hearing test by explaining the process in simple terms. Let them know that they will be listening to sounds and responding to them, as well as reassure your child that the process will be easy and fun to reduce nervousness.
 
If you have any questions about how long the hearing screening will take or how to prepare, reach out to the friendly team at Kidswood Pediatrics for clarity and support. For more information, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 1680 Lee Rd. Winter Park, FL 32789. We serve patients from Winter Park FL, Maitland FL, Apopka FL, Goldenrod FL, Lockhart FL, Casselberry FL, Oviedo, FL, and nearby areas.