When Dean Berrones’s parents noticed their one-year-old son was showing signs of hearing loss and a speech delay, they knew they had to act fast to get him the help he needed.
Thanks to their quick response, Dean, now a kindergartener at a mainstream school, has cochlear implants to treat his profound hearing loss and ensure his proper speech and language development.
Recognizing the Signs
At age one, Dean had an extremely limited vocabulary and sometimes wouldn’t respond to his name, both common signs of hearing loss in young children. Other common signs include:
- Unclear speech
- Not reacting to voices or other sounds
- Has stopped babbling
- Still babbles but isn’t moving to understandable speech
The Importance of Early Intervention
After completing a series of diagnostic tests at the Children’s Hearing Program at the UHealth Institute in Miami, Florida, Dean was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in both ears and prescribed cochlear implants.
Early intervention for hearing loss in young children like Dean is especially important because the crucial period for language learning is from birth to age three. Children who don’t receive treatment can struggle with communication, schoolwork, making friends, self-confidence and other social, emotional and behavioral issues.
The good news is that the sooner hearing loss is identified in a child, the sooner they can get the hearing devices they need.
Three years after getting his implants, Dean is a happy, thriving kindergartener. His parents say he is performing academically at the same level as his classmates and has earned his gray/white belt in jujitsu.
If your child is showing signs of hearing loss, don’t wait—contact Willamette ENT’s pediatric audiologists to schedule a hearing evaluation.
“I have been going to Willamette ENT on and off for most of my life. The staff is always so friendly, and the doctors and nurses show a lot of care and compassion!”