Understanding The Challenges That Hearing Impaired Children Face

Imagine getting through your day with the world around you on mute. How much more difficult would it be?

Now imagine doing this day in, day out, but back when you were a teenager or child. To say it would be challenging doesn’t quite cut it!
Being hearing impaired as a child can be an uphill struggle as dealing with hearing loss is piled on top of the usual trials and tribulations of growing up; discovering who you are, learning to make friends and getting on in school are all made that much harder.

In this blog, we’ll look at three key challenges hearing impaired children face today and the solutions.

Classroom chaos

For a hearing impaired child, the classroom may not be a calm, orderly space to learn in. Rows of desks can make it hard to take in those all-important visual clues that help a hearing impaired child understand what is being said by a fellow student. Lighting can also make things difficult if it floods in behind the teacher, once again makes distinguishing those visual cues difficult.

The solution: U-shaped seating arrangements and careful consideration of where the teacher stands when giving a class.

Face time

Some hearing-impaired children can lip-read but this can be difficult if they aren’t directly facing the person talking. In a classroom environment, if the teacher continues to talk while handing out papers, for example, lip-reading becomes near impossible. Having to write down reams of notes during class can also make it hard for a hearing-impaired child to focus on what is being said.

The solution: When talking to a hearing-impaired child always face them directly. In the classroom, provide notes before the class so that hearing-impaired children can engage more during the lesson.

Fitting in

Hearing impaired children most often don’t want to draw attention to the fact that they have hearing loss, wanting to fit in with all the other children with normal hearing. This can make them retreat into themselves in large group environments, such as in the classroom or at social events.
The solution: Arrange smaller groups for classroom learning and/or social events to help a hearing-impaired child feel more at ease and less worried about fitting in.

At Allison Audiology we understand the challenges faced by hearing impaired children and are here to help with hearing healthcare that caters to every child’s unique needs.