Health: Tune in to your teenagers hearing

If listening to loud music, playing in the school band, or even mowing the lawn is part of your kids normal routine, parents may want to tune into their childs hearing ability.

While infants and childrens hearing are closely examined during the language development years, Dr. Judy Rasin, a licensed audiologist with McGuires hearing services, said hearing loss may not always be on a pediatricians mind while conducting a teens checkup.

Because hearing loss is an invisible condition, parents can only be vigilant and watch out for its signs and symptoms.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, simple signs in teens include turning up the volume too high while watching television and frequent replies of huh? or what? when others speak to them.

While these signs may be characteristic of almost any teen during their coming-of-age years, parents can also keep an eye on how long and how often their children use their music devices and at what volume.

Pressure from sound waves can damage the hair cells in the ear, which sense vibration and sends signals to the brain. Sound causes part of the hair cell to rock back and forth but if a sound is too loud, the hair cell can be bent or broken. And once its broken, theres no growing a new one, according to the nonprofit Dangerous Decibels, which educates children about hearing loss. Susceptibility to hearing loss is nearly double among 12- to 19-year-olds who are also exposed to second-hand smoke, according to a 2011 New York University study.

That type of damage can be caused by a one-time exposure to loud sounds or by repeated exposure over time to sounds of various intensities, such as those that come through earphones, Dr. Rasin said.

If the earphones dont fit correctly, teens have a tendency to crank up the volume so they can hear it above all the other environmental sounds, she said.

The idea is not to crank them up to dangerous levels, Dr. Rasin said, even if it doesnt sound uncomfortable to them.

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Health: Tune in to your teenagers hearing