Eh, what did you say? – Tips to protect your child’s hearing October 5, 2012

Tips on How to Protect Your Child’s Hearing – by John O’Connor

Keep the volume for headphones at the mid to low range. This will ensure the volume is not too loud. A good judge as to whether or not it is at an appropriate range: if your child can hear what is going on around them, the volume is at an acceptable level. If they cannot hear the sounds around them, the volume is too loud. This is a positive lifelong habit that will protect hearing for those children who use headphones frequently.

Keep the car or truck windows closed when driving long distances on highways. The combination of wind, speed and sound can affect hearing over a period of time. This is an environmental cause of hearing loss that is controllable immediately.

When you or your family are in a loud, noisy environment, the use of earplugs will prevent hearing damage that may occur over time. Working at a construction site or in a loud establishment or using electronic tools daily are some examples of when a person may benefit from earplugs. This is another action a person can take to protect his or her hearing daily.

Be sure to treat all ear infections immediately. The best course of action is to see a doctor and let the doctor determine if antibiotics are needed. Long term damage to the inner ear from ear infections is preventable if infections are treated promptly.

Remove wax build up periodically so that the wax accumulated can be removed before causing hearing loss. Some home remedies include mineral oil, baby oil or wax removal kits that can be purchased at a local pharmacy. Often, earwax build up goes undetected. If it is suspected, have a doctor check the ears.

When using a cotton swab to clean the ears, avoid inserting the swab into the ear canal. Though, it may seem harmless, an injury from an object to the inner ear may impact a child’s hearing. A general rule to follow is to keep the swab only on the outside of the ear, or, use a wash cloth which will prevent any accidental insertion of the cotton swab into the ear canal.

Childhood Obesity: A Food and Nutrition Resource List for Educators February 3, 2010

What is Asperger Syndrome? February 3, 2010

With the rise in the diagnosis of this condition among citizens young and old, we found the following information helpful in identifying the sympomatic behaviors of those with the disorder.

Asperger Syndrome (or Asperger’s Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. In spite of the publication of his paper in the 1940’s, it wasn’t until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was added to the DSM IV and only in the past few years has AS been recognized by professionals and parents. Read more