More than a quarter of parents say their child has not had a hearing test between 0 and 11 years old. Ignorance or neglect? A survey shows a need for information on hearing problems.
Is hearing the poor relation of prevention? In view of the results of a survey carried out by Ipsos for Audika (1), it would indeed seem that parents have more of a reflex to have their children’s teeth and eyesight monitored, rather than their hearing. No less than 28% of the parents questioned declared that their child had not been the subject of any auditory diagnosis between 0 and 11 years old. And 84% of them have absolutely no plans to have their children tested.
This neglect is firstly due to a lack of awareness of the first symptoms: 36% of parents questioned say they do not know how to recognize them. It must be said that the warning signs are not very easy to spot. Between 2 and 3 years old, for example, you have to be attentive to language delays or behavioral disorders, which can manifest themselves as much by agitation as by a form of withdrawal into oneself. But, parents also tend to wait until the last moment to worry about their children’s hearing.
Listen to Alain Tonnard, CEO of Audika: “Parents are aware of the risks but they do not take action because we have no notion of hearing loss.”
Not content with neglecting the possible hearing problems of their children, parents too often allow risky behavior to take hold. Indeed, according to the Ipsos-Audika survey, a third of parents declare that their child aged 10-11 often, even systematically, uses headphones to listen to music. At 6-7 years, they are 8% in this case.
MP3 players are not the only ones to be in the crosshairs of specialists. Recently, a survey of 60 million consumers found that none of the toys assessed exceeded the noise limits determined by the current European standard. “But we have to admit that these limits are set too high: 115 decibels (dB) for a standard toy, 80 dB for a toy“ to put close to the ear ”, estimates 60 million consumers. However, between 80 and 90 dB, we are already in the register of the shouted voice. And at 115 dB, we approach the pain threshold! As we know, exposing a child’s fragile ears to repeated noise can damage hearing later on.
10% of children tested suffer from a hearing impairment
Moreover, hearing problems in childhood are not uncommon. The Ipsos survey reveals that one in ten parents who have had a diagnosis discovered that their child is experiencing hearing problems. And it has been shown that 12 to 18% of children will present with lasting otitis media within the first 5 years of life, which will impair their hearing in a more or less prolonged manner.
In order not to miss a hearing problem in your child, there are of course the health examinations carried out at school during the 4th and 6th year. Otherwise, in case of doubt or family history, the French Society of Pediatrics recommends having an ENT examination. The tests vary depending on the age of the child. From the age of 4, for example, it is recommended to practice a voice audiometry. The tester, standing behind the child at arm’s length, utters in a low whispered voice words for the child to designate on a board of 10 pictures.
And if the child needs to be fitted, the professional of reference is the hearing aid acoustician.
Listen to Alain Tonnard : “Even if parents come directly to our stores, we systematically refer them to an ENT specialist because hearing loss can hide a pathology”.
(1) Survey conducted among 1009 people constituting a representative sample of the population of parents of children aged 0 to 11 years.
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