What is Hearing and Development?
Hearing words and sounds helps children develop the ability to talk and to comprehend. Children who have hearing loss are unable to hear these sounds. This could cause issues with reading, speaking as well as school performance and social abilities. It is essential to get your child tested in case you suspect that he is having trouble hearing. It’s important to ask for help as soon as you can.
Hearing loss in children could result in:
- Slow speech and language development
- Learning difficulties at school
- Having negative self-esteem
- Finding it difficult to make connections
Read on to learn more about the problems that children with hearing loss could experience.
Words
Children who have hearing loss do not pick up language as quickly as those who do. They could:
- Learn concrete words such as jump, cat five, red, and cat. But, they might struggle with abstract words such as before, similar to shy, and equal to. They could not make use of words such as are, an, or are, or.
- Have problems understanding a word’s various meanings. Take “bat” as an example. It could be a reference to a bird or to baseball gear. These connotations might not be understood by a child with hearing loss.
- As they get older, they fall behind kids with normal hearing. Without assistance, hearing-impaired children cannot catch up.
Sentences
Children with hearing loss could struggle to comprehend and use sentences. They might:
- Learn to comprehend and use shorter sentences than children who have normal hearing.
- Difficulty understanding longer, more complex sentences. In their sentences, they are not permitted to use clauses. “When I arrive home, I will have dinner,” is an example of a clause. Passive voice is not necessarily allowed. “The ball was thrown by Meena” as an illustration, demonstrates this
- Hearing word ends like -s or -ed is difficult. They might not comprehend or use words with plurals, like cats. They may not use past tense, such as walked.
Read more about causes of hearing loss
Speech
Children who have hearing loss are unable to hear sounds clearly. There is a need to understand the importance of hearing as they might have difficulty communicating clearly. Hearing and speech impaired children might:
- Avoid using the sounds like sh, s or k. These are thick, difficult-to-hear sounds.
- They may not hear their voice when speaking. They could not be loud enough or too soft. They might talk in a high-pitch. It is possible that people think they mumble or make a different sound.
Academic Success
Children who have hearing loss experience difficulty in the classroom. Math and reading can be their most difficult subjects. The most important facts regarding the loss of hearing and academic achievement include:
- Children with moderate to mild hearing loss can fall between one and four grades in a row without assistance.
- Children who have more severe hearing loss might not be able to learn beyond the third or fourth grade stage. Support from school can help them succeed.
- Children who suffer from hearing loss are not able to fare as well as kids who have normal hearing. Their gap gets bigger as time passes.
- Children with hearing impairments would be more successful in school when they receive help earlier. This can include support at home, from parents and their families.
Read more about creative and modern teaching aid ideas for hearing loss students
Social Skills
A loss of hearing can cause it to be more difficult to converse with other people. Children might not want to engage in conversation or play with others. Children with hearing loss could:
- Feel isolated, a sense of being unfriended and loneliness.
- Feel unhappy at school.
What You Can Do
The most important thing you could do is have your child’s hearing test to understand the importance of hearing. If you start early your child could communicate through speech and hearing therapy. You can check your child’s hearing with an audiologist in Delhi. They can speak to your child about the most effective method to treat the hearing impairment. This could include medical treatments and hearing aids as well as speech and language therapy.