Can Ear Infections Cause Hearing Loss in Kids?

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Over one million children in the U.S. have hearing problems, with ear infections being the most common cause of hearing loss in kids.

For this reason and since hearing plays a major role in a child’s learning as well as speech and language development, physicians within GBMC’s Department of Otolaryngology are urging parents to make sure that their child has his or her hearing checked before the start of the new school year.

Signs of ear infections include ear pulling, fever, and irritability. Signs of hearing loss include underdeveloped speech and language skills, underdeveloped social skills, asking others to repeat themselves, and not responding when spoken to.