I was able to watch recently as a sleeping 36-hour-old baby boy was given a hearing test. The woman audiologist, took Sean in his cradle, over to a computer, which looked just like my desktop at home, except there were a series of wires attached to this one.

The audiologist placed a small plastic probe attached to one of the wires in the baby’s right ear, then typed some keys on the computer. The computer Viagra Jelly screen displayed a graphical representation of the results.

The procedure that I was observing at this ear research institute, employs cutting edge technology, that can provide children with some form of hearing loss, with an early advantage for dealing with future hearing issues.

There are approximately four thousand kids each year born with hearing problems, and twenty-four thousand more infants experience some extent of hearing loss.

This particular procedure is known as an OAE (otoacoustic emissions) test, which is used to gather data for parents and doctors regarding the ability of their newborn to hear, and subsequently attempt to correct or mitigate the effects of this potential disability.

It’s common for hearing issues to go unnoticed in children until he age of three before a doctor or parent becomes aware of them. There can be dramatic consequences if you wait too late.

Learning language and how to speak can be delayed by hearing problems. Children suffering from hearing loss often start speaking long after their peers, and they often seem separate from their environment in a way that kids with normal hearing are not.

Research shows us that the first two years of life are essential for building the skills necessary to develop intellectually and emotionally. Sometimes, those who suffer from compromised hearing are incorrectly diagnosed as being mentally handicapped.

Prior to 1990, when OAE became widely available, testing newborns was an expensive and complicated undertaking. The auditory brain stem response test is said to be very accurate by one audiologist.

The test actually measures the activity of the auditory nerve itself as it sends messages to the brain and is done by attaching electrodes to the baby.

The test must be administered by a professional audiologist or physician due to its complexity, and is costly at about $90 per half hour exam. There is just not an adequate number of professionals in this country to give out these evaluations to all the children being born.

The OAE is more cost effective and easier to administer therefore does not require a full time audiologist. The OAE test exposes the small hair cells in the cochlea to sound, and measures the vibration of these cells, and in this five minute test, any hearing loss will be detected.

A microphone is used to detect the response made from the hair cells when the sound is transmitted into the baby’s ear.

This test is conducted for both ears, with the audiologists gently turning Sean to his other side to access the other side of his head. Fortunately, Sean’s hearing fell within normal range.

Should this test reveal negative results during the first attempt, a second test is administered in about a week. The reason is that during birth some fluid can be pushed into the ear canal, which can make the baby’s tests come out poorly.

If this test again reads negatively, the more complex auditory brain stem response test is conducted in order to locate the source of the issue. A plan to deal with the issue is then devised among the pediatrician, audiologist and parents.

If the hearing loss is minor, hearing aids can be provided at three months of age. Hearing aids may be all that’s required to bring a newborn’s hearing into a normal range.

A cochlear implant is a surgical procedure that can be performed on children Kamagra 18 months of age or older, for a permanent solution to hearing issues.

When a child is found to be deaf, there will be guidance for the parents, so that they are able to learn to use visual examples and cues while spending extended time with their baby, so that their infant can learn about the world.

Children who are taught in this way usually develop intellectually at a normal rate. A parent must also decide how to help their child cope with hearing loss, and there are many options to choose from, such as the use of a hearing aid or cues speech, lip-reading, and sign language.

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Category: Health
Keywords: hearing aids, Hearing test, hearing loss, hearing care, ear problem, hearing problem, tinnitus