Signs To Watch For

People with hearing loss are sometimes not aware of it. In fact, sometimes friends and family are the first one to notice. However, since early diagnosis and treatment can be more beneficial,  knowing what the early signs are can help you identify if you, a friend, or a family member has hearing loss.

General hearing loss signs:

• Difficulty hearing other people clearly especially when there is background noise or competing voices. This results in difficulty following conversations involving more than 2 people.
• Muffled hearing.
• Trouble hearing children and women (inability to hear higher pitched voices clearly).
• Listening to TV or radio at a high volume.
• Avoiding conversation and social interaction, since these situations can be tiring and stressful for someone with untreated hearing loss.
• Difficulty hearing the doorbell or the phone.

Signs of hearing loss in children:

• Teachers complain that the child is not quick to hear things.
• Delays in the development of language compared to kids of the same age.
• Delayed, inappropriate, or no response to soft and moderate-level sounds. 
• Academic performance problems.
• The child turns up the volume of the TV very loudly.
• The child watches the faces of speakers intently.
• He/she is not startled by loud noises.
• The child speaks in a very loud voice.