Nonorganic hearing loss and child abuse: beyond the sound booth

Nonorganic hearing loss in children can result from many factors. It is possible that some children show nonorganic hearing loss because of the stresses of past or on-going abuse and neglect. We report three cases of nonorganic hearing loss in children with a history of abuse. These cases suggest that among other causes, child abuse or neglect is to be ruled out when a child shows false hearing loss. Discussions with professionals knowledgeable of a child's home life should be a initiated when nonorganic pediatric hearing loss is uncovered.