The Misdiagnosis of ADD/ADHD How Hearing Loss Can Affect Your Education
When people think about a child experiencing hearing loss, they typically consider the social struggles the child will face when interacting with others. While these struggles definitely exist, many adults and educators tend to overlook the effects hearing loss can have on school performance. In the past, when teachers encountered a child who was inattentive, poorly behaved in the classroom, and consistently earning low grades, they might have assumed that the student had a learning disability like ADD or ADHD. In reality, all those behaviors are also consistent with hearing loss. Hearing loss is far more common than people realize. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1.3 out of every 1,000 8-year-olds have bilateral hearing loss (loss of hearing in both ears). Additionally, 14.9 percent of children
ages 6–19 have hearing loss in one or both ears. Taking these statistics into consideration, you can probably understand how a child with undiagnosed hearing problems might slip through the cracks. Hearing is critical to speech and language development. Loss of hearing can lead to learning problems, which can then lead to poor academic performance and behavior. For example, if a teacher turns his back to the students while teaching, his voice is redirected to the whiteboard, resulting in the student missing key elements of the material. This affects the learning of vocabulary, sentence structures, and idiomatic expressions, all of which are necessary for understanding concepts in facets of academia. Fortunately, in the last three years, parents and educators have taken
a more offensive approach to not only detecting children that might be experiencing hearing loss, but also finding the best possible strategies for helping them and their parents ensure academic success. Recent studies have shown that early intervention is key, so teachers have started to keep an eye out for inattentiveness, inappropriate responses to questions, daydreaming, trouble following directions, and speech problems. If your child or a child you know is struggling in school and has a family history of hearing loss, or has had multiple ear infections, please call us at
the Hearing Center of Long Island (516-874-3675) to schedule an appointment. What Our Patients Are Saying
“I’ve been having hearing difficulty for some time. My
helped me take care of my hearing difficulty with such care and expertise. I would recommend this office to anyone with hearing problems.”
wife was complaining about my hearing. She said my hearing problem was frustrating for her and she wanted me to get help — but I wasn’t sure the problem was bad enough that I needed to do anything about it. “Fortunately, I came to Hearing Center of Long Island after a friend recommended the office. I didn’t realize how much I was missing! I’m so glad the doctors at Hearing Center of Long Island
-Frank Carlino, Malverne, NY
Mr. Carlino with Dr. Larry
2 • We’re listening to you.
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