The outline of a normal child’s ear consists of four basic parts: the earwheel, the opposite earwheel, the ear screen and the earlobe. You can compare your child’s ear with the picture. If any part of the ear is missing, it is possible that the auricle has a deformity of varying degrees of severity. When you notice a deformity in your child’s ear, take him or her to the doctor as soon as possible. An examination will reveal whether your child also has a deformity of the external auditory canal (e.g., narrowing or atresia of the external auditory canal) and a middle ear deformity. Malformations of the external auditory canal and middle ear have no effect on your child’s appearance, but have a significant effect on his or her hearing – for example, a child with atresia can become deaf at 60-70 decibels (a normal child’s hearing ranges from 0-20 decibels, and 60-70 decibels is considered moderately severe). However, you can also find out if your child is deaf in your daily life through some of his or her behavior: a significant delay in the age of speech compared to children of the same age; slurred speech; habitual tilting of the head when communicating with others. When the above situations occur, you also need to take your child to the hospital for a hearing test.