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Hearing loss affects 12,000 children born in the United States each year, making it the most common sensory birth difference.
Typically, babies and young children learn to talk by listening to the voices of family members and caregivers from the time they are born. Any degree of hearing loss has the potential to interrupt speech and language development.
Today, thanks to recent advances in infant hearing screening, hearing technology, family education and appropriate educational intervention, infants and toddlers with hearing loss now have the opportunity to learn to listen and talk and be on par with their hearing peers in language development by age 5. But there is little time to waste. Early identification of hearing loss during infancy and early childhood is critical to a child’s successful language development.
What does that mean for families of children with hearing loss?
- Parents can ask for a hearing loss screening to find out if their baby is likely to have a hearing loss in the first few days after the baby is born – even before they leave the hospital.
- Parents who suspect their child has a hearing loss can find out how their children’s language skills compare to the timeline for childhood language development. They can also ask their pediatrician for a referral to an audiologist who can test for hearing loss.
- More than 90 percent of children diagnosed with hearing loss are born to parents who have typical hearing, so many families find themselves navigating unfamiliar territory. A variety of support services are available to families of children diagnosed with hearing loss.
The primary goal for children with hearing loss is to help them develop language at the same rate as children with typical hearing. There are various communication options to help children attain this goal. Remember that many children with hearing loss have learned to listen and use spoken language to communicate.
Second, the United States and a number of other countries offer specialized programs, called early intervention, to support children with hearing loss and other disabilities and give them an early start to their education.
Third, advances in hearing technology have improved dramatically in the past 10 years. Early intervention combined with the use of hearing aids or cochlear implants enable a child with hearing loss to develop language skills comparable to their hearing peers by the time they enter first grade.
Parents who want their children to communicate using spoken language also need to find an appropriate educational environment for their child. This may be a private school or the local public school system. If the child is entering a regular or “mainstream” classroom, teachers will want to know about effective teaching techniques to assist children with hearing loss.
As children get older, parents will want to work with their child to create a home environment accessible to people with hearing loss. This approach will also help children learn to manage their hearing loss independently so they can effectively advocate for their needs when entering the workforce.
For more information, contact your local AG Bell chapter or find a service provider near you.
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