Should I get my child's hearing tested? The answer is - probably. Even if your child passed their hearing screening test at birth, there is still a chance your child may acquire a hearing loss later on in life for reasons such as ear infections, trauma and damaging noise levels. Researchers believe that the number of people who have hearing loss doubles between birth and the teen years. It is generally recommended that children have their hearing checked annually up until the early primary years.   Red flags for hearing loss

• Speech delay - first words should occur around 12 months. Children should have already started to babble and copy some sounds.
• Lack of response or attention when they are called, at reasonable distances and level of background noise. Young children should be particularly responsive to their parents' voices.
• Difficulty learning.
• Turning one ear forward when they are listening.
• Tugging at or rubbing one or both ears.
• Talking loudly.
• Needing the TV volume excessively high.
• Speaks with a muffled sound quality, i.e. sounds such as ‘h’, ‘k’, ‘g’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ and ‘j’ do not seem clear and sharp.

  Who tests my child's hearing? Audiologists at hearing clinics and audiology centres around Hong Kong. Make sure you inform them that you want a hearing test for your child when you make an appointment as special equipment is required for paediatric hearing tests. It would also be useful for the audiologist to know of any mobility and developmental issues your child may have.