FAQ
Children

Even if the screening was successful for the child at birth, the presence of mild, progressive, permanent or temporary hearing loss remains possible. Often undiagnosed, it can affect school learning and language development: it will give the impression that the child is inattentive or that his skills are less. The child may also be more tired at the end of the day.

Child with hearing problems: Born and growing up https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/sante/bg-naitre-grandir-audition-probleme-surdite/

Development of communication in children 0-5 years old: OOAQ https://www.ooaq.qc.ca/consulter/developpement-communication-enfant/

It is important to do a hearing screening annually, because certain problems such as ear infections and wax plugs can reappear and lead to a new episode of temporary mild hearing loss. Doctors are able to detect these problems, but only audiologists can quantify the associated hearing loss.

To date, the order of speech therapists and audiologists of Quebec recommends the wearing of hearing protectors in class only for special cases and at the request of a health professional. For more details, please consult the following leaflet: https://www.ooaq.qc.ca/media/wkipripv/5278_ooaq_feuillet_coquillesantibruit.pdf.

Listening to loud music for a long time can damage the ear prematurely and permanently. Here are some tips to limit exposure:

• Do not exceed half of the volume indicator on the device. Several devices are equipped with an alert when the music is too loud when played through headphones.
• Prefer wearing over-ear headphones rather than in-ear headphones (eg airpods). In-ear headphones should be properly inserted to avoid ambient noise contamination and acoustic leakage. So, to hear the music well, the person will tend to increase the volume by wearing in-ear headphones. By choosing the on-ear headphones that fit more easily, disturbance from external noise is reduced. Therefore, the person will be less tempted to increase the volume.
• Start listening with the volume of the device at minimum and gradually increase it until you reach a comfortable volume

Otitis externa, or swimmer's ear, is an infection in the external auditory canal, so in front of the eardrum. This infection is often caused by swimming (hence the origin of the term) in water contaminated by a microorganism such as a bacterium or a fungus that stagnates in the external auditory canal. It can also be caused by irritation of the conduit attributable to a dermatological problem (eg eczema) or the use of an external object (eg cotton swab). This kind of ear infection may require treatment prescribed by the doctor.

• Avoid swimming with your head submerged in contaminated water (polluted lakes, poorly maintained pools, etc.);
• Teach your child not to put his finger, cotton swab or objects in his ears, as these can irritate and even injure the external auditory canal.
• After swimming, wipe your child's pinna, but not the ear canal. You can also ask your child to tilt their head to remove as much water as possible from their ears.

Swimmer's ear infection: https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/sante/naitre-grandir-sante-enfant-mal-oreille-otite-baigneur/

Otitis media is when fluid accumulates behind the eardrum due to poor ventilation of the middle ear. There are 2 types of otitis media. The first is serous otitis, which is often called silent otitis due to the absence of symptoms most of the time. Uninfected fluid collects behind the eardrum. The second is acute otitis media. Infected fluid builds up, causing inflammation or pressure on the eardrum. If the pressure becomes very strong, the eardrum may rupture and fluid will leak from the ear. Generally, the presence of otitis media causes mild hearing loss that is temporary. The audiologist is the professional who will quantify the hearing loss associated with the presence of fluid (otitis). Some ear infections will go away on their own, while others require medical attention.

Otitis media: https://naitreetgrandir.com/fr/sante/naitre-grandir-sante-enfant-mal-oreille-otite/