Directory of Deafness Resources

Home > Kids and Teens > Health > Conditions and Diseases > Deafness

Deafness is partial or total hearing loss. This condition can happen before birth or as children get older. There can be a sudden loss or hearing can get worse over time. Sometimes only one ear is affected; sometimes hearing gets better and worse.

There are many causes of hearing problems. Ear infections can cause fluid in the ears that blocks sound. High fever from mumps or chicken pox can hurt the part of the brain that processes sounds. Loud noise can harm cells or nerves in the inner ear.

There is no cure, but some kinds of hearing loss get better. When fluid from ear infections goes away, hearing can improve. Damage from loud noise may not be permanent. There are also devices, like hearing aids and cochlear implants, that can improve hearing.

Resources in This Category

• Aussie Deaf Kids

  http://www.aussiedeafkids.org.au/
  Stories and advice for deaf children and their families.

• Deafplanet.com

  http://www.deafplanet.com/
  View episodes, meet the people, play games, and try science projects from the TiVo Kids show. Offers finger spelling. In English, French, American Sign Language, and Langue des Signes Québécoise.

• KidsHealth: Can Loud Music Hurt My Ears?

  http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/rock_music.html
  Learn how loud music can cause temporary and permanent hearing loss and how to protect your ears.

• KidsHealth: Hearing Impairment

  http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/hearing-impairment.html
  Find out what causes it and what can be done to help correct the problem.

• Loud Shirt Day

  http://www.loudshirtday.com.au/
  Learn about and how to participate in Loud Shirt day, an event designed to "give deaf children a voice."

• Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

  http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/pages/noise.aspx
  Explains what this condition is and how it happens. Includes damaging sounds, effects, symptoms, and prevention.

• Sound and Fury

  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/
  Explores deaf culture and examines cochlear implants, controversial devices that can stimulate hearing. From PBS.

• T-Generation - Tinnitus

  http://t-generation.20m.com/
  Information on prevention and causes of ringing noises in ears. Presented by a teen as a resource for those who attend clubs or enjoy loud music.

Other Languages

• French

 

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