Hearing Loss in Children
Posted by Donna Dolezal Zelzer on May 7th, 2006
Signs of Hearing Loss in Children
If your child has hearing loss, the sooner this is discovered, the sooner something can be done about it, and the better the chances of successful treatment. Also, early identification of hearing loss is very important because most language learning takes place during birth to five years; if your child is having trouble hearing during that critical period, he won’t be able to learn to speak as quickly nor as well.
Some signs that could indicate hearing loss:
- Loud noises do not wake up your child.
- Your child older than a few months does not turn to the source of a sound.
- Your child does not look at the person talking to her.
- Your child has delayed speech and language development.
- Your child does not seem to pay attention, has difficulty following directions, or has problems in school.
- Your child tends to daydream or withdraw in social situations.
{There could be other reasons for any of these; for example, withdrawing in social situations could be a sign of shyness rather than hearing loss. But it is a good idea to have hearing loss ruled out, so you can deal with the actual problem.)
Tips for Communicating with Hearing Impaired People
- Face the person when you talk and make sure your mouth and face can be seen. That way he can read your lips.
- Talk normally and speak clearly.
- Don’t say “never mind” and give up on talking to the hearing impaired person. This will make her feel left out.
- Do repeat yourself patiently if necessary, perhaps saying the same thing in different words. Also try acting out what you’re trying to say, or write it down.
- If your friend knows sign language, you might want to learn it, too. It’s a beautiful, expressive language, and is like dancing with your hands!
Sources
Hearing Loss in Children
http://www.hearinginfo.com/hlchild.html
Please read the full article for more information.
Growing Up Without Hearing: Making Friends
http://ClercCenter.gallaudet.edu/InfoToGo/565/summary.html
Never Say “Never Mind!” by Jessica Gill, age 9
http://www.zuzu.org/never.html
Other Resources For and About Hearing Impaired Children
American Society for Deaf Children
http://www.deafchildren.org/
This is an organization of parents and families that advocates for deaf and hearing impaired children.
Gallaudet University’s National Deaf Education Center and Clearinghouse
http://ClercCenter.gallaudet.edu/InfoToGo/index.html
This is a wonderful list of resources for anyone is hearing impaired or who knows hearing impaired people. Some of the items are written with children in mind.
Where Do We Go from Hear?
http://www.gohear.org/
is a site dedicated to the families of infants and children with hearing loss and to the professionals who serve these individuals.
Links for Parents of Deaf Children
http://www.deaf.net/deafchild.htm
is a short list of useful links from DeafNet.
Homeschooling Deaf Children
http://deafness.about.com/health/deafness/library/weekly/aa091498.htm
is an article about this, plus links to other info about deafness,
Sign language may help deaf children learn English
http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr98/amer.html
A paper in the April 1998 issue of the APA (American Psuchological Association) Monitor on this interesting topic.
License
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