Children learn to talk by imitating the sounds and voices they hear around them, an important aspect of their development. Therefore, children who have difficulty hearing can be at a disadvantage developmentally. The degree and type of hearing loss are critical to a child’s speech development. There are four major ways in which hearing loss affects a child:
- It causes delay in the development of speech and language skills
- It causes learning problems that result in a less than desired academic achievement
- Communication difficulties, causing the child to be isolated
- An impact on vocational choices in the future
Any suspected hearing loss should be diagnosed immediately. If the hearing loss is permanent, your child should be aided with hearing devices as early as possible to improve the hearing capability that will allow for optimum speech development, learning and socialization despite the hearing disability.
Signs That Your Child May Be Having Trouble Hearing
Toddlers
- Failure to turn head to direction of call or sound
- For infants, failure to be awakened when loud sound is introduced
- Delayed speech development i.e. failure to develop single words speech by age one and half years
- Showing no interest in being read to or in playing word games
- Habitual yelling or shrieking when communicating or playing
- Greater responsiveness to facial expressions than to speech
- Shyness or withdrawal
- Frequent confusion and puzzlement
Older Children
- Inappropriate responses to questions or other sound stimuli
- A failure to respond to verbal requests
- A seeming inattentiveness
Some Common Causes Of Hearing Loss
Viral Diseases
German measles contracted by a mother during the first three months of pregnancy may interfere with inner ear development in the foetus. Other viral diseases such as mumps can also cause a hearing impairment.
Problems at Birth
Jaundice occurring at or shortly after birth is capable of damaging the inner ear.
Hereditary Impairment
Fifty percent of childhood hearing loss is caused by hereditary, even more if distant relatives have a similar problem.
Meningitis
Meningitis occasionally results in hearing loss, which may be mild to profound.
Getting Help
Fortunately, children with some form of hearing loss will still be able to hear, either through ear surgery or the use of properly fitted hearing aids. To effectively gauge the degree of hearing loss and pick the proper aid, you will need to make several visits with the audiologist.
Some commonly used treatments include antibiotics to clear up infection (if it is a temporary case of hearing loss), removal of wax or foreign objects, hearing aids, vibrotactile aids (which translate sounds into vibrations that are felt through the skin), and cochlear implants, which are most effective when used early in life. On top of that, speech therapy is also important for children who experience any type of permanent hearing loss to help them to maximise their communication skills.
Most school systems have programs that help parents teach their child to listen. School-age children may also be enrolled in special classes for the hearing impaired or in regular classrooms with additional speech and tutorial help.
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