Why Your Child's Hearing Belongs on the Back-to-School Checklist

Backpacks, haircuts, new sneakers, school supplies. Most Suffolk County parents have a checklist this time of year, and hearing rarely makes the cut. Here's the problem: school hearing screenings aren't standardized across every district, and a child can go years, sometimes their entire elementary school career, without a real hearing check. If something's off, nobody may catch it until grades start slipping or a teacher flags "attention issues" that have nothing to do with attention at all.

School Screenings Aren't a Safety Net

New York doesn't require every district to screen every child every year in the same way. Some schools screen in kindergarten and then again in a later grade. Others screen less consistently, especially in the upper grades. A child who passes a screening in first grade could develop fluid behind the eardrums, chronic wax buildup, or noise-related changes by fourth grade and simply not get checked again until something forces the issue.

That's the gap parents don't usually think about. A pass at age six doesn't mean anything by age ten. Hearing can change gradually, and kids rarely announce it. They adapt. They read lips a little more, sit closer to the TV, or stop raising their hand because they're not sure what the teacher just asked.

The Signs Parents Miss

Hearing loss in children doesn't always look like hearing loss. It often looks like something else entirely, which is exactly why it gets missed.

• Asking "what?" or "can you repeat that?" more than usual, especially in a group or with background noise
• Turning up the volume on the TV, tablet, or headphones past what seems reasonable
• Seeming distracted, daydreamy, or off-task at school, when the real issue is that they're missing pieces of what's being said
• Talking louder than the situation calls for, without realizing it
• Doing fine one-on-one but struggling in the classroom, the cafeteria, or anywhere with background chatter

Teachers sometimes label this inattention or a behavior issue. Parents sometimes chalk it up to a phase. And sometimes it's neither. It's a hearing problem that's been there for a while, quietly making school harder than it needs to be.

Summer Ear Trouble Doesn't Always Clear Up on Its Own

Pool days, lake trips, sprinklers, all that summer water exposure comes with a real downside: swimmer's ear and other ear infections. Most parents know the symptoms when they're acute, the pain, the tugging at the ear, the fussiness. What's less obvious is what happens after the antibiotics or drops are finished.

Fluid can linger behind the eardrum for weeks after an infection resolves, even when the pain is gone. That fluid causes a temporary conductive hearing loss, muffling sound the same way earplugs would. A child heading back to school with lingering fluid isn't hearing the teacher the way they should, and nobody around them may realize why. It just looks like the new school year is off to a rocky start.

If your child had any ear infections, swimmer's ear, or repeated ear pain over the summer, that's worth checking before the classroom routine really kicks in, not months from now when the school gets around to it.

Thirty Years of Pediatric Hearing and Speech Experience

Dr. John Martinetti brings something to pediatric hearing care that's genuinely uncommon: he's board certified as both a Speech-Language Pathologist and an Audiologist, with over 30 years working directly with children in both roles. That combination matters more than it might seem. Hearing and speech development are tied together closely enough that a hearing issue can show up first as a speech delay, an articulation problem, or trouble following classroom instructions. Dr. Martinetti isn't guessing at how those pieces connect. He's spent three decades watching how they connect in real children.

When a child needs further evaluation or medical follow-up, Dr. Martinetti prepares a comprehensive report for the child's pediatrician. That report keeps everyone on the same page, the audiologist, the pediatrician, and the parents, so a hearing concern doesn't get lost between appointments or fall through the cracks of a busy school year.

What to Expect at the Appointment

One detail parents appreciate once they know it: if possible, bring your child to their appointment without siblings along. Kids are evaluated with a parent in the room, and having the room free of other children keeps the visit focused and calm.

The evaluation itself is thorough. It starts with an ear canal exam, moves through hearing threshold testing across pitches, and includes speech understanding testing, since "I can hear a beep" and "I can understand what someone's saying" are two different skills entirely. Most childhood hearing loss caught early is treatable, and Dr. Martinetti communicates findings clearly so parents aren't left guessing what an audiogram actually means for their kid's daily life.

Schedule a Children's Hearing Test in Port Jefferson Station

Suffolk County families don't need to wait for a school screening that may or may not happen this year. If your child has shown any of the signs above, had ear trouble over the summer, or simply hasn't had a real hearing evaluation in a while, now's a good time to get it checked before the school year picks up speed. You can learn more about what a comprehensive hearing test at Port Jefferson Hearing involves, or call us directly at 631-331-1888 to schedule. We're located at Davis Professional Park, 5225 Nesconset Hwy Building #3, Suite #10, in Port Jefferson Station, and we're glad to help you cross this one off the list before the first bell rings.