Your toddler learns around the world around them by seeing, hearing, touching and feeling. If any of these senses are not functioning properly for any reason they will develop slowly and they will not achieve normal milestones. One of the most common problems when it comes to delayed learning and development in toddlers is hearing – although your child may not be born with hearing problems they may develop them early in life. If you notice that your child has hearing problems it is important to get them to a specialist right away.
The big question for many parents is – how can you know that your toddler isn’t hearing as well as they should be? There are no easy answers. Many times parents assume that their child is shy or reserved when in actual fact they do not hear properly. The best thing to do is spend a lot of time with them. Take notice of the kinds of sounds they notice and those that they don’t. Your toddler is already developing language so that is a good place to start – if they aren’t talking by the age of two or three it may be time to have a specialist step in.
Finding the right specialist is not easy. There are several good ones in the UK but the problem with many of them is that they have long waiting lists. You may have to wait for many months for your toddler to be seen and diagnosed and all the while their hearing is getting worse. The best thing to do is find a private audiologist. The best ones employ several professionals in their clinics to make sure that waiting times are minimal for patients.
We recommend Chears – they are one of the best in the UK and they can see your toddler without any delay. Find out how to get an appointment on http://www.chears.co.uk/.