QUESTIONS to CONSIDER if you SUSPECT A HEARING LOSS (children and young adults)

Is he/she prone to colds/earache/sore throats? Y N
Does he/she breathe through his/her mouth rather than nose? Y N

Is his/her breathing noisy? Y N

Does he/she snore? Y N

Does he/she have any known allergies? Y N

Does he/she startle when you appear from out of vision? Y N

Does he/she have difficulty locating where a sound is coming from? Y N

Does he/she seem to hear/listen only some of the time? Y N

Does he/she turn up the sound on the TV? Y N

Does he/she appear to watch you intently when you speak? Y N

Is he/she a daydreamer/generally inattentive or disinterested? Y N

Does he/she watch for the response of others, before responding himself/herself? Y N

Does he/she frequently seek help from his/her classmates? Y N

Does he/she have difficulty listening and attending to speech? Y N

Does he/she frequently ask ‘What?’ or ask you to repeat what you’ve said? Y N

Does he/she complain of not being able to hear? Y N

Does he/she often misunderstand or ignore what you say? Y N

Is he/she reluctant to answer questions? Y N

Does he/she give wrong answers to simple questions? Y N

Does he/she appear to ‘hear’ better when facing you? Y N

Does he/she hold back from joining in with his/her peers? Y N

Is he/she reluctant to participate in group activities or discussion? Y N

Is his/her language and/or speech development delayed? Y N

Is his/her speech unclear? Y N

Are word endings weak or absent? Y N

Does he/she struggle with phonics? Y N

Does he/she have poor phonological awareness? Y N

Is he/she having difficulty with reading? Y N

YES answers are indicative of hearing loss and so if you have answered ‘yes’ to several of these questions, we would advise that, as a first step, the child is taken to their GP, for oral and aural examination, and possible onward referral for a hearing test and/or an ENT examination.

There can be other reasons for a child having these difficulties which are not related to hearing loss, but it is important to establish whether a hearing loss is a contributory factor.
NHS GG&C NH