One of the last things a new parent might expect is for their child to have a degree of hearing loss, but it's easily missed. If a child is incorrectly diagnosed as having normal hearing at birth, problems with hearing can be an ongoing issue

Suzanne Duffill's son Joe, born in 2000, was not diagnosed with hearing loss until he was four and a half. Suzanne and her husband knew that children could develop at different speeds so they thought that Joe might just be a bit slower than his older sister.

'His sister always used to know exactly what she wanted and she would get it, whereas Joe didn't appear to have as much motivation,' explains Suzanne. 'But it was only when he started playgroup that we properly realised he had a problem with his hearing.

'The main indication for us was that Joe's speech did not progress at the same rate as his peers. He passed the health visitor's test, which I still believe it is hit and miss.'

Like many parents of deaf or hard of hearing children, the Duffills had no experience of deafness. One in 1,000 children in the UK are born with some hearing loss, but most are born into hearing families.

Parents can be perplexed as to why their new baby has impaired hearing. But there can be myriad causes, from complications at birth to childhood illnesses like measles. Sometimes it's impossible to pinpoint the reason. But children like Joe can do well at school once they are fitted with hearing aids.

'From my perspective, Joe is like any other child,' says Suzanne. 'He has a great social life and is doing well in school. I know how I worried at the beginning but with the help of the aids, I feel that his hearing loss is not adversely affecting him.'

Joe has also had excellent support from his mainstream school and from the local hospital's audiology department.

Screening for hearing loss

Nowadays, babies are screened for hearing loss in hospital or a few days after they go home through the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme. The test is quick and doesn't hurt the baby.

Parents of Down's Syndrome babies should be particularly careful to get their babies' hearing checked as hearing problems can arise in up to 50 per cent of these children, according to the NHS. Down's Syndrome babies can be prone to 'glue ear' which means the baby can have a hearing loss that fluctuates.

If tests show that your baby does have a hearing loss, then you should get an appointment with the local hospital's audiology department.

And don't stop communicating with your baby because he or she has a hearing loss. Your baby is likely to be able to hear some sounds. Facing your baby, being at their level when you talk to them and making use of facial expressions can all be ways parents can communicate well with deaf or hard of hearing babies.

For more information

Contact RNID to find out more about infant hearing loss. RNID is the largest charity working to change the world for the UK's nine million deaf and hard of hearing people. We do this with the help of our members by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss, providing services and through social, medical and technical research. To find out more visit www.rnid.org.uk.