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What causes hearing loss? Hearing loss can be caused by certain intravenous antibiotics, high dose pain relievers, quinine or aspirin, autoimmune diseases, viral infection, genetics or a simple blow to the head. Hearing loss is the #1 chronic birth defect today. But the largest contributing factors to hearing loss are common noises and elevated levels of sound including jet engines; surround sound and high volume headsets. Every time your child cranks up the volume on his/her earphones to listen to music or a movie, they are beginning irreversible hearing loss; damage that can potentially isolate them from friends and society and effect their performance in school and later in life.

Economics: The economics on hearing loss are significant. When a child is not identified and does not receive early intervention, special education for a child with hearing loss costs schools an additional $420,000, and over a lifetime the costs are approximately $1 Million per individual (Source: Hearing Loss Association of America). Estimates indicate the impact of untreated hearing loss is quantified to be in excess of $100 Billion annually (Source: The Better Hearing Institute). And, 13 out of every 100 school children have some degree of hearing loss.

Who is affected? Thought to be a problem of the elderly, one in six Baby Boomers has significant hearing loss, sadly the problem is not one of age but the degree of noise and exposure to higher decibels of sound that are so prevalent in today's society. This is particularly true for youngsters and young adults. How many times have you heard, "Turn up the volume?" Youngsters begin by plugging into their music players and then go on to concerts and dance clubs where the levels of sound get turned up to the max.

How many times have you pulled up to a red light and felt the vibrations and heard the nois
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