Sensory Impairments: Hearing
Educators need to take a child’s hearing loss very seriously, as it is the fastest growing disability in the world and hearing impairments can have such a detrimental effect on speech and language development.
Definitions:
Decibels
The intensity of sound or loudness is measured in decibels (dB), with 0 dB being the faintest sound that people with normal hearing are able to detect.
Degrees of Hearing Loss
Hearing Impairment broadly covers any hearing loss ranging from mild (loss range is 25-40dB) to completely deaf (loss range is 91dB+).
Deaf Persons
With or without a hearing aid, these people are unable to hear and process language effectively.
Hard-of-Hearing persons:
With the use of a hearing aid, these people are generally able to hear enough language in order to process it successfully.
Prevalence:
About 10% of those living in North America have some form of hearing loss; this rate rises to 50% for seniors. Hearing loss is not a common disability at birth: about 1 in 1000 babies are born deaf or is deaf by age three. 5% of school-aged kids have some degree of hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound. About 10 – 20% of these kids require some kind of special education. These percentages are estimates only, as accurate prevalence figures are difficult to obtain for many reasons, including inconsistent data and other research problems.
Etiology:
Outer Ear
Problems such as external otitis (swimmer’s ear), wax build-up, auditory atresia (missing/undeveloped auditory canals), Microtia (misshapen or tiny pinna), foreign objects stuck in the ear, and perforation of the eardrum are all possible causes for outer ear impairment which may cause hearing loss.
Middle Ear
Otitis Media (middle ear infection), is very common in infancy, and early childhood; and, 20-30% of elementary school kids suffer from this type of infection at least once. In addition, Otosclerosis (a hereditary condition, which is rare in childhood), congenital defects, and head trauma can all result in hearing losses. Most of these losses are conductive (sound is reduced or blocked before it gets to inner ear) and do not exceed 65 dB.
Inner Ear
Impairments involving the inner ear are sensorineural problems (sound may get to the inner ear, but cannot properly be received or transmitted) and can cause profound hearing loss. Meningitis, maternal Rubella and hereditary factors can result in these kinds of hearing disabilities in childhood. In addition, prolonged exposure to loud, intense noises can destroy the tiny hair cells in the inner ear, which can cause permanent hearing loss. Many other causes for inner ear problems are not yet known. Premature and low birth weight babies carry and increased risk for hearing impairments, and some birth complications can cause deafness. Apnea at birth can cause hearing problems as well.
Syndrome
Hearing loss may also be associated with various syndromes, including Treacher-Collins syndrome, Waardenburg’s syndrome and Down syndrome.
Bennett, S., Dworet, D., & Weber, K. (2008). Special Education in Ontario Schools (6th ed.). St.
Davids, Canada: Highland Press, pp. 191-193.
Winzer, M. (2008). Children With Exceptionalities in Canadian Classrooms (8th ed.). Toronto,
Canada: Pearson Prentice Hall, pp. 321-333.
I have a feeling that we are going to see sensory impairments in the area of hearing, more and more frequently as the population ages. I feel that there will be a large increase due to environmental factors. Just one example of this is the increased use of ear bud headphones from the ever popular Ipod and devices similar to these. I know I am guilty myself of putting the earphones in, and turning up the music to levels that I am sure are not good for my ears. I don't think it is a question whether this will cause sensory impairments, it is a question of when are these consequences going to start to be seen?
ReplyDeleteI am also guilty of wearing the headphones too loud while walking to work or at the gym. However, I would hope that as more and more of the population (especially the youngsters) owns and uses iPods, the manufacturers would find a way to make them less damaging to the ears? I don't know if that's actually possible, but you'd think that with the way technology advances, they could find a way.
DeleteThis could be true, but then will those hearing impairments be balance by getting better at catching sensory impairments earlier on? Screening for eyesight in Kindergarden happens reasonably frequently (Usually by a Lions Club). But I'm not sure why we don't screen hearing beyond the infant tests.
ReplyDeleteI also wear my head phones very loud or if i am driving alone i will listen to my music very loud. I also don't do that very often but after having gone for a run and having my music up loud i turn it down after a while so i don't get a head ache or do damaging things. It has a lot to do with self control as well, if you want to constantly listen to loud music or be around extremely loud objects without protecting your ears or being cautious of the consequences its your own personal choice. As an individual you have to make the best choice.
ReplyDeleteI also wear head phones but I try not to have it too loud if I can't hear what is going on around me I immediately turn it down. That being said some songs are naturally louder than others so if you keep it at a constant level you will eventually have to adjust the volume. My children also own Ipod's and I am contantly warning them about keeping the volume down, if they refuse to comply they lose it for the day. My husband enjoys loud music but I don't so I have to remind him to keep it down. Hearing is such a precious sense we should do all we can to protect it.
ReplyDeleteBeing some what hearing impaired almost my entire life i can sympathize with people struggling with a hearing impairment. Id just like to say that it is important to get regular hearing checks for children. I know it has caused me some difficulty in my school and and every day life
ReplyDeleteI agree with the need to have regular hearing checks for children. I wish they were provided by the school board or the government. When I was growing up in the USA, we did have regular hearing & eye tests done in school. While I have been volunteering with Strong Start, I have seen several children that I question their hearing. Simple ear infections, if chronic, can cause permanent hearing loss and can certainly complicate the learning process.
DeleteI'm the same as all you ladies. When doing lots of things younger I always listened to my music (a lot of the time was headphones) very loud, especially when going to school. When I was at my last job I had to do some hearing tests. They told me that for my age my hearing wasn’t the best. After that, the company gave me fitted ear plug to wear at work due to the noise there. Those ear plugs are lifesavers! I wear them whenever I am around anything that’s loud or very noisy mainly when its for a long period of time. I have found that they work wonders and suggest that everyone if they are working around any equipment that is loud to always wear some kind of ear protection. You never know what kind of noise will slowly ruin your hearing.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that all children (or babies) should have their hearing checked regularly. I know one boy who had chronic infections as a toddler and consequent hearing loss. He therefore wasn't able to hear the sounds correctly during those early precious years, and now as a teenager, he still mispronounces many words; he mostly has trouble with blends such as th,sh etc. He endured much teasing throughout school and now as a teenager, his continuing difficulty with speech may be very difficult if not impossible for him to overcome.
ReplyDelete