HEARING & HEARING LOSS
The impact of hearing loss on the early development of a child’s language, cognition, and social-emotional competence can be pervasive. When a child has a hearing impairment of early onset, even of a relatively mild degree, the development of these skills is often delayed. Such delays adversely affect communicative, academic, and social success, which at a later age limit vocational choices.
A hearing loss, first and foremost, interferes with a child’s detection and recognition of speech. The development of auditory skills that are prerequisite to the development of receptive and expressive language skills, as well as speech intelligibility, are delayed.
Such auditory skills include detection, discrimination, recognition, comprehension, and attention. In turn, a delay in the early development of auditory skills caused by a hearing loss negatively impacts a child’s ability to learn and use an auditory–oral language system.
From: Matkin, N. D. & Wilcox, A. M. (1999).
Considerations in the education of children with hearing loss. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 46 (1),143-152.
Referral to an Audiologist
If you suspect a child has a hearing loss after completing the Signs of Hearing Loss Checklist, encourage their parent/carer to have a hearing assessment at an audiologist.
If a child does have a hearing loss diagnosed by an audiologist, ask parents/carers for the report. It should give you information about what type of sounds and environments the child has difficulty with, and suggestions for accommodating these difficulties.
If a child has a hearing loss they may be eligible for assistance from a DEC Itinerant Teacher (Hearing) who will provide training, support and resources to the classroom teacher.
