Deafness and hearing impairment
Hearing impairment, deafness, and hard of hearing: what these terms mean
If your child is hard of hearing or deaf, it means that your child’s ears can’t do all or any of the things they should be able to do. For example, your child might have muffled hearing, or she might not be able to hear sounds coming from some directions, or she might have trouble hearing certain frequencies or sounds.
The terms "deafness" or "hearing impairment" might be used alternatively to describe this priblem.
Types of deafness or hearing impairment
Deafness or hearing impairment can:
- happen at birth – this is congenital hearing impairment .
- start after birth – this is acquired hearing impairment.
There are two main types of hearing impairment – conductive and sensorineural.
Conductive hearing impairment is when sounds from outside your child’s ear have trouble getting to the inside of the ear. Conductive hearing impairment is usually caused by middle ear fluid from middle ear infections, and is usually temporary.
Sensorineural hearing impairment is when the nerves that are in charge of receiving sound and sorting out what it means don’t work properly. Sensorineural hearing impairment can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. Sensorineural hearing impairment usually lasts for life and can get worse over time.
Mixed hearing loss is when a child has both conductive and sensorineural hearing impairment.
Universal newborn hearing screening
What is hearing screening?
During screening, special equipment plays specific sounds into your baby’s ears and records the responses from your baby.
In most places, your baby will be screened in hospital, before you take your baby home.
Signs of deafness or hearing impairment
If your baby is deaf or hard of hearing, he won’t hear people speaking, which means he might not respond to your voice and other noises in the way you’d expect. As he gets older, you might notice that his speech and language aren’t developing like other children’s.
As a guide, here’s what you’d expect in a typically developing baby. If your child isn’t doing these things, it might be a good idea to talk to your doctor.
- At 0-4 months, your baby should startle at a loud noise, turn her head or move her eyes to locate the source of the sound. If she’s upset, she should calm down when she hears your voice.
- At 4-8 months, your baby should notice sounds around him, smile when spoken to, babble and understand simple words like ‘bye-bye’.
- At 8-14 months, your baby should respond to her name, say simple words like ‘mama’ and ‘dada’, copy simple sounds and use her voice to get attention from people nearby.
- At 14-24 months, your child will start to develop vocabulary, understand and follow simple instructions, and put two words together.
Even if everything seems OK but you still feel worried, you should see your doctor or nurse. After all, you know your baby best.
Learning to communicate: deaf children and children who are hard of hearing
If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, he might use spoken language, sign language or a combination of sign and spoken language to talk.
Learning to communicate with spoken language for children with severe or profound deafness is really hard work, takes many years and doesn’t always succeed. The most important thing for your child’s development, and for your relationship with your child, is being able to communicate.
Many families choose to teach their child to both speak and sign, regardless of whether the child can use spoken language. If this is your family’s choice, you and the rest of your family need to learn sign language too.
You can ask the health professionals who are caring for you and your child for more information and support to learn sign language.
Listening devices for deaf children and children who are hard of hearing
There are devices that can help your child hear spoken language. And when she can hear spoken language, your child can start learning to use language.
The right type of device for your child will depend on what type of hearing impairment he has and how severe it is. These devices, called amplification devices or assistive listening devices, include:
- hearing aids
- bone conduction implants
- cochlear implants - a device inserted by surgery for people with severe sensorineural hearing lmpairment.
- personal frequency modulation (FM) systems.
Your child might use one device, or a combination of devices. Your child might also use these devices in combination with spoken language and sign language.
Most children with hearing impairment use assistive listening devices on both ears.
Early intervention services for deaf children and children who are hard of hearing
The earlier you find out your child has a hearing impairment, the sooner she can begin early intervention and have language to communicate with. It also means you and your family can get advice and support as soon as possible, giving your child the best start in life.
The team of professionals involved in supporting you and your child might include audiologists, speech pathologists and special education teachers.
Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.
When you play, connect and communicate with your child throughout the day in ways that encourage her hearing and development, it can help her a lot. Children learn the most from the people who care for them and with whom they spend most of their time.
Looking after yourself and your family
Although it’s easy to get caught up in looking after your child, it’s important to look after your own wellbeing too. If you’re physically and mentally well, you’ll be better able to care for your child.
Talking to other parents can be a great way to get support. You can connect with other parents in similar situations by joining a face-to-face or an online support group.
If you have other children, these siblings of children with disability need to feel that they’re just as important to you – that you care about them and what they’re going through. It’s important to talk with them, spend time with them, and find the right support for them too.
