Can hearing impairment cause autism?
Disease description:
The child was found to have hearing impairments shortly after birth. Now the child is three years old and shows some signs of autism. The parents are concerned that the autism might have been caused by the hearing impairment. Can hearing impairment lead to autism?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Yang Ziqi
The relationship between hearing impairment and autism is complex, though hearing impairment may increase the risk of autism. Hearing impairment refers to organic or functional abnormalities in the conduction, perception of sound, and the comprehensive analysis of sound by various neural centers within the auditory system, leading to hearing loss.
1. Impact on social communication: Hearing impairment may prevent children from effectively communicating with others, and prolonged lack of interaction may increase the risk of autism.
2. Impeded language development: Hearing impairment can hinder a child's language development, and language communication disorders are a key characteristic of autism.
3. Increased risk: Hearing impairment does not directly cause autism, but it may indirectly increase the risk by affecting social and language development.
For children with hearing impairment, timely treatment and close monitoring of their social and language development are essential to prevent or enable early detection of autism.
