Our principal Audiologist, Raquel Fernandez also holds a Masters in Speech and Language Pathology. Raquel was the former lecturer at the University of Western Australia for Peadiatric Speech and Language Development and is highly knowledgeable and experienced in the field of hearing loss and speech and language development.

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It is important to know that hearing sounds and words helps children learn to talk and understand. A child with impaired hearing misses out on these sounds. This can cause difficulties with speaking, reading, school success, and social skills. Hearing loss in children can be permanent (sensorineural hearing loss) or temporary such as fluid in the ears/ear infections (conductive hearing loss) or a combination of both (mixed hearing loss). All types of hearing loss can cause significant delays in speech and language development.

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Signs and symptoms of hearing loss in infants may include not been startled by loud noises, not turning their head toward sounds and not saying at least some words by 12 months of age. In order children, signs of hearing loss can include delayed speech development, reduced speech intelligibility, speech that does not sound clear, not following instructions, frequently asking for repeats or mishearing what was said and listening to television or music at louder volumes.

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If you suspect that your child is having trouble hearing, the best thing you can do is have their hearing tested. At Fernandez Hearing, our Audiologists, can assess your child's hearing and provide recommendations for the best way to manage your child’s hearing loss. Whilst this may include medical treatment, hearing devices, classroom programs or speech and language therapy, the type of intervention will depend on the type and degree of the hearing loss and thus the intervention will be different for each child.

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