Educational Programs for Hearing Impairment
For Parents
Under Standing Hearing Impairment
Hearing impairment or deafness is called an “invisible disability” because it cannot be seen easily like many other disabilities. Usually, parents come to know about hearing loss when the child is unable to communicate or respond properly to sounds and speech.
Hearing impairment means:
- A child is unable to hear sounds clearly or completely
- Difficulty understanding speech and communication
- Delayed speech and language development
Hearing loss can happen:
- By birth (Congenital)
- Before speech develops
- After speech develops
Some common causes include:
- Illness during pregnancy
- Premature birth
- Hereditary conditions
- Infections like jaundice or measles
- Accidents or illness later in life
- Certain medicines or drugs
Worried About Your Child’s Hearing or Speech Development?
Our experts are here to guide and support you.
Early Detection & Early Action
Early identification of hearing loss is very important.
Many children with hearing impairment are identified only between the ages of 1.5 to 3 years, when speech development is delayed
- Important Facts
- Out of every 1,000 children born in India, around 5–6 children may have hearing difficulties
- Hearing loss usually has no visible signs
- Early screening can help detect hearing problems soon after birth
Benefits of Early Detection
When hearing loss is identified early:
- Speech development improves
- Language skills grow faster
- Social confidence increases
- Learning becomes easier
- Children can develop skills similar to other children
At Suniye, we encourage parents to seek help as early as possible.
Hearing Aids & Cochlear Implants
What is a Hearing Aid?
A hearing aid is a small electronic device that helps make sounds louder and clearer for people with hearing loss.
Hearing aids can help children:
- Hear sounds better
- Improve communication
- Develop speech and language
- Participate confidently in school and daily life
Our team helps parents understand:
- Which hearing aid may be suitable
- How hearing aids work
- Proper usage and care
- Regular hearing support
How do I know which hearing aid is best for me?
Hearing aid candidacy is typically determined by a Doctor of Audiology, who will also fit the device based on the nature and degree of the hearing loss being treated. The amount of benefit experienced by the user of the hearing aid is multi-factorial, depending on the type, severity, and etiology of the hearing loss, the technology and fitting of the device, and on the motivation, personality, lifestyle, and overall health of the user.
How does a hearing aid help with sensorineural loss?
Hearing aids are an aid to make sounds more audible. The most common form of hearing loss for which hearing aids are sought is sensorineural, resulting from damage to the hair cells and synapses of the cochlea and auditory nerve. Sensorineural hearing loss reduces the sensitivity to sound, which a hearing aid can partially accommodate by making sound louder. Other problems caused by sensorineural hearing loss, such as abnormal spectral and temporal processing, are more difficult to compensate for using digital signal processing and in some cases may be exacerbated using amplification.
What are the common issues faced with hearing aids?
Common issues with hearing aid fitting and use are the occlusion effect, loudness recruitment, and understanding speech in noise. Once a common problem, feedback is generally now well-controlled using feedback management algorithms.
What are the common issues faced with hearing aids?
Conductive hearing losses, which do not involve damage to the cochlea, tend to be better treated by hearing aids; the hearing aid is able to sufficiently amplify sound to account for the attenuation caused by the conductive component. Once the sound reaches the cochlea at normal or near-normal levels, the cochlea and auditory nerve can transmit signals to the brain normally.
Who are the intended recipients?
At our educational program for hearing imparment the target recipients of Suniye in the centre stage are children. The organisation believes that a child’s education cannot be achieved without addressing the needs of the chilren, particularly the parents, as well as the communities in which they live. Contact us for free audiometry test from Suniye’s best audiologists in Delhi
Need Guidance About Hearing Aids?
Speak with our audiologists and therapy experts.
Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aid
BTE hearing aids are worn behind the ear and are commonly used for children.
Benefits of BTE Hearing Aids
- Strong and durable
- Easy to handle
- Suitable for severe hearing loss
- Comfortable for growing children
- Easy to repair and maintain
These are one of the most commonly recommended hearing aids for children.
What is a Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Hearing
Aid?
BTE hearing aids consist of a case which hangs behind the pinna, the rear part of the ear. The case is attached to an earmold or dome tip by a traditional tube, slim tube, or wire. The tube or wire courses from the superior-ventral portion of the pinna to the concha, where the ear mould or dome tip inserts into the external auditory canal. The case contains the electronics, controls, battery, and microphone(s). The loudspeaker, or receiver, may be housed in the case (traditional BTE) or in the ear mould or dome tip (receiver-in-the-canal, or RIC). The RIC style of BTE hearing aid is often smaller than a traditional BTE and more commonly used in more active populations
Where are Behind-The-Ear (BTE) Hearing Aids used best?
BTEs are generally capable of providing more output and may therefore be indicated for more severe degrees of hearing loss. However, BTEs are very versatile and can be used for nearly any kind of hearing loss. BTEs come in a variety of sizes, ranging from the small ‘mini BTE’, to larger ultra-power devices. Size typically depends on the output level needed, the location of the receiver, and the presence or absence of a telecoil. BTEs are durable, easy to repair, and often have controls and battery doors that are easier to manipulate. BTEs are also easily connected to assistive listening devices, such as FM systems and induction loops. BTEs are commonly worn by children who need a durable type of hearing aid.
Cochlear Implant (CI)
What is a Cochlear Implant?
A cochlear implant is a special medical device placed through surgery that helps children with severe hearing loss hear sounds.
It works differently from hearing aids and directly stimulates the hearing nerve.
A Cochlear Implant can help:
- Difficulty hearing in noisy places
- Support speech learning
- Improve communication
- Build confidence in social situations
How Does a Cochlear Implant Work?
A cochlear implant has:
- An external sound processor worn outside the ear
- An internal implanted device placed through surgery
After surgery, children usually require:
- Speech therapy
- Listening practice
- Regular training and support
Important Things Parents Should Know
Every child responds differently to cochlear implants.
Results depend on:
- Age of implantation
- Type of hearing loss
- Regular therapy and practice
- Family support
- Overall health condition
Speech therapy and parental involvement remain very important even after implantation.
What is the advantage of a Cochlear Implant?
From the early days of implants in the 1970s and the 1980s, speech perception via an implant has steadily increased. Many users of modern implants gain reasonable to good hearing and speech perception skills post-implantation, especially when combined with lip reading. However, for pre-lingually deaf children the risk of not acquiring spoken language even with an implant may be 30% or more.
How does a Cochlear Implant work?
The implant has two main components. The outside component is generally worn behind the ear, but could also be attached to clothing, for example, in young children. This component, the sound processor, contains microphones, electronics that include digital signal processor (DSP) chips, battery, and a coil that transmits a signal to the implant across the skin. The inside component, the actual implant, has a coil to receive signals, electronics, and an array of electrodes which is placed into the cochlea, which stimulate the cochlear nerve. The surgical procedure is performed under general anaesthesia
What must be kept in mind while considering a Cochlear Implant?
One of the challenges that remain with these implants is that hearing and speech understanding skills after implantation show a wide range of variation across individual implant users. Factors such as duration and cause of hearing loss, how the implant is situated in the cochlea, the overall health of the cochlear nerve, but also individual capabilities of re-learning are considered to contribute to this variation, yet no certain predictive factors are known.