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Expert Q&A

	By Mindy Hudon Speech and Language Pathologist

My preschooler is being thoroughly tested for hearing loss; she hasfailed her last two hearing tests. She also has trouble speaking – it's as though her words aren't formed completely. This was an apparent sign to the pediatrician that hearing loss could be the case. My question is, if we confirm that she has hearing loss, will she ever be able to speak clearly?

A child needs to hear sounds in words in order to model them in their own speech. If a child has difficulty hearing due to chronic ear infections or sensory hearing loss, it can impact their speech production. Imagine a child with recurrent fluid in their ears. They may be hearing as if they were under water. If you ever listened to someone talk while you were under water then you know how that sounds. Speech sounds are distorted or "mumbled." Now imagine trying to learn a new language while under water. For children, our language is a new language.

If your daughter's hearing loss is due to a middle ear issue because of infections and/or fluid, then your doctor will perscribe medication and/or placement of tubes inserted in her ear drums to drain the fluid. She may continue to have difficulty with her speech; however, speech therapy will help her resolve these issues given improvement in her hearing status. If it is a sensory hearing loss, your doctor or audiologist may recommend hearing assistance and speech therapy will be beneficial to help your daughter acquire speech sounds.

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