Hearing loss can be described as a partial or total inability to hear or having hearing thresholds outside the typical range. Hearing loss can be conductive, sensorineural, or mixed, and may result from issues with the ear, cranial nerve eight, or the central auditory system. It can vary in onset, severity, and stability, and may be present from birth or acquired later. Newborn hearing screenings can identify some cases, but audiological monitoring over time is essential, especially for at-risk children. Managing hearing loss in children involves collaboration between professionals, including audiologists, speech-language pathologists, otolaryngologists, and pediatricians. Family involvement is crucial throughout the assessment and treatment process, as person- and family-centered approaches lead to better outcomes and language development in children with hearing loss.

Hearing plays a crucial role in a child's spoken language development and understanding. Children with hearing loss may face difficulties in speaking, reading, school performance, and social interactions. It is essential to get their hearing tested if there are concerns. Hearing loss in children can result in delayed speech and language skills, learning challenges at school, lower self-esteem, and difficulty making friends. Early identification and intervention can positively impact language development and outcomes in deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

How to Help those affected by hearing loss

The most important step to take when a child is affected by hearing loss is to take them to an audiologist who can properly assess them and provide intervention options. These children may need aural rehabilitation services to assist them with hearing loss which include the following:

• Education & Counseling

  • Providing resources and education to families so that they have current information on hearing loss and options they have as the child develops

• Amplification

  • Depending on the severity of hearing loss, children may receive hearing amplification devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants. With these new devices, a process of education and counseling is used to continue to educate the family about the device and provide them support

• Hearing Assistive Technology Systems

  • These devices are imperative to giving additional support to children in places that may be harder for them to hear in. Some of these devices include: frequency/digital modulation, classroom audio distribution systems,  sound field amplification systems etc.

• Intervention

  • Intervention is needed in this population and should include modification and accommodations to be able to give them the least restricitve environment and the most access that they need. Some interventions include working on auditory training, speech and language development, and working on cognitive-communication skills. Intervention is based on a family-centered plan to fully meet the needs of each individual child and can be adapted as the child grows over time.

CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS

Despite many advances in technology and medicine over the past 50 years, individuals with hearing loss may continue to face barriers to communication access and participation. These barriers will vary across individuals depending on geographical region, type/degree of hearing loss, communication modality, use or type of amplification, and school resources. These difficulties may be summarized as follows: 

• Technological barriers: Children with hearing loss may use one of many types of technology to access sound, including hearing aids, cochlear implants, and FM systems. Given the expense of these devices, access to them might be delayed, resulting in reduced language exposure (in the absence of sign language). Even once an appropriate hearing device is obtained, teachers and caregivers may use FM or other sound systems inconsistently or may fail to provide necessary maintenance, sound checks, battery swaps, and monitoring, resulting in inconsistent sound access and perpetuating receptive language delays. To overcome these technology-related barriers, all caregivers and teaching staff should understand their roles and responsibilities with regard to hearing device management. Through a defined plan, these individuals can work together to provide daily device maintenance, cleaning, and sound checks to increase the quality and frequency of device use. Ongoing collaboration with the child's audiologist can further ensure that desired hearing and language milestones are being met.

• Social barriers: Cochlear implants have impacted the Deaf population in many ways, but most significantly by reducing the number of individuals joining this community. As 90% of children with deafness are born to hearing parents, the majority of parents in recent years have opted to have their children implanted. With fewer children learning manual language like American Sign Language, those individuals who do use ASL have fewer communication partners and opportunities for interaction in their native language. Children who live in areas with robust supports for members of the Deaf community (e.g. social groups, ASL schools or language programs, camps) may be able to engage in social interactions with many communication partners, but for those children who live in rural areas or geographic regions with fewer supports, communication opportunities may be restricted to their own family members.    

INCREASING AWARENESS

• Education

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a form of hearing loss that occurs as a result of repeated exposure to loud noises. Although recovery is not possible, it is entirely avoidable. It is critical to educate families and children about the dangers and repercussions of excessive loud exposure. Education on this matter helps people comprehend the significance of hearing protection, as well as how to do it.

• Access 

Loud places like concert venues can be significantly harmful to the ears. Hearing protection such as earplugs are important allies when it comes to preserving hearing. According to Cha et al. (2015), the provision of free earplugs prior to the event by concert venues demonstrated a high amount of people wearing those. Moreover, having vending machines for earplugs might be a simple and cheap way to emerge awareness of this significant prevention act.

• Attainable Resources

The American Academy of Audiology provides many sources of information and material related to audiology in English and Spanish. There are campaigns, tutorials, printable materials for children, and much more that can be used to enhance audiology awareness and its correlates.  

October is National Audiology Awareness Month 

get involved

The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is an organization that is person-centered. They promote advocacy by working on passing legislation that is inclusive, being a part of communities such as the World Hearing Forum, and most importantly working on providing access to people with hearing loss through accessible transportation, emergency services texting, and advocating for insurance coverage for hearing aids. 

https://www.hearingloss.org/programs-events/advocacy/

You can get involved with the HLAA to make an impact in a variety of ways. There are a multitude of options as a volunteer such as:

• Support the HLAA offices in supporting programs

• Be a participant in the HLAA Walk4Hearing 

• Promote advocacy for changing legisaltion by working on projects and researching topics in relation to people with hearing loss

• Create a local HLAA chapter to increase awareness

• Become a volunteer at an HLAA convention

https://www.hearingloss.org/make-an-impact/ 

REFERENCES:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.-c). Effects of hearing loss on development.

 https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/effects-of-hearing-loss-on-development/

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.-c). Hearing loss in children. 

https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/hearing-loss-in-children/

Badri, R. (2022, January 13). 6 ways to raise youth awareness of noise-induced hearing loss. Hearing Health Foundation.

 https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/blogs/six-ways-six-ways-to-raise-youth-awareness-of-noise-induced-

 hearing-loss 

Cha, J., Smukler, S. R., Chung, Y., House, R., & Bogoch, I. I. (2015). Increase in use of protective earplugs by rock and roll

concert attendees when provided for free at concert venues. International Journal of Audiology, 54(12), 984–986.

https://doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2015.1080863 

Hearing Loss Association of America. (2021, August 18). Advocacy. Hearing Loss Association of America. https://www.hearingloss.org/programs-events/advocacy/ 

October is National Audiology Awareness Month. The American Academy of Audiology. (2022, November 29).

 https://www.audiology.org/practice-resources/public-awareness/october-is-national-audiology-awareness-month/ 

Written by Leah K, Lillian O, Mariana S, & Elisa W

By Nat, Julia, Megan, Delaney

Overview

In order to take part in the learning process a child needs to be able to hear and understand their teacher, peers, and classroom discussions. This process can be complicated for a child with a disability, especially in a noisy classroom. Noisiness in a classroom occurs from lots of peers talking at once. It can also include other factors such as background noise and reverberation. A loud classroom can contribute to difficulties in understanding speech, and issues with behavior, attention, and concentration. 

Population

• School-aged children

Conflicts and Solutions 

Conflicts: 

• • Some kids in the classroom might not understand the reasoning behind creating a quieter environment. It is important to explain and educate their classmates and peers in an age-appropriate way. 

  • It is challenging to make sure every classroom in a school doesn't have excess or background noises but the child's primary classroom should be arranged and modified to create a quieter and more positive learning environment. 

Solutions: 

• • Improve Classroom Acoustics

    • Place rugs or carpet in the room 

    • Hang soft materials (felt, corkboards) 

    • Place soft tips on the bottom of chairs and tables 

    • Hang curtains or blinds 

    • Replace noisy light fixtures 

    • Place tables at an angle instead of in rows 

    • Turn off noisy equipment  if it is not being used

  •  Educate peers about how hard it can be to hear when many of them are talking at once

Increasing awareness

• Education for teachers and peers

• Advocating for your child if they say the classroom is too loud or noisy.

Resources for Families and teachers

ASHA: https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Classroom-Acoustics/ 

    https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/0161-1461.2701.16 

https://www.inclusioned.edu.au/practices/improve-classroom-acoustics 

Alyssa Caldarella and Nicole Rizzo 

Population:  

Preschoolers requiring an AAC device, specifically preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) 

Possible Solution: 

Since some insurance companies do not cover the cost or the entire cost of an AAC device, a child's preschool should create and have brochures with different funding options available to families. These options should include resources, contact information, and steps to take. The purpose of this solution is encourage families to pursue AAC devices rather than being deterred from funding injustices. This option empowers families. However, an additional solution is advocating for more federal or state funding being available to families. This requires voting for politicians who will support this cause and influence widespread change beyond those that can be made from a smaller group of advocates. This solution removes the burden from the families themselves and places it on society. 

Possible Conflict to the Solution and How it Might be Resolved: 

A possible conflict to setting up families with other possible funding opportunities is that these processes for approval are lengthy. This waiting period consumes critical time in which the child should be exposed to an abundance of language. A possible solution to this problem is creating lower-tech AAC devices for children such as a PECS board. This PECS board will give a child access to language, communication, and set a foundation of skills for a higher level AAC device once funding is determined. A barrier to voting for politicians who support governmental funding is that each person only has one vote, so it is impossible to control this outcome alone. A solution to this issue is to spread education and awareness about the importance of funding for this population and encouraging people to do research on the people they vote into office.  

Increasing Awareness: 

• Attend state/town funding meetings 

• Educate parents on advocacy skills 

• Spread general knowledge to the community about the purpose of AAC devices 

Resources: 

https://tacanow.org/family-resources/obtaining-funding-for-an-aac-device/ 

https://www.aacfundinghelp.com/

Reference:

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (n.d.). Augmentative and Alternative Communication (Practice Portal). Retrieved July, 27, 2023, from www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Professional-Issues/Augmentative-and-Alternative-Communication/.

Kenisha, Nadia

Population predominantly affected: 

Children with cochlear implants in the schools that would benefit from having a team that supports maintenance of the implant and making sure that it is working properly. As they age, they will become responsible for their own hearing and implant responsibilities, but at a young age, especially in elementary school, they still require support.

Problem:

Children with cochlear implants benefit from certain supports at school to support their hearing and accommodate to their implants. Young children tend to take out external cochlear implant pieces and may not have the language to advocate for their hearing needs yet. It tends to be the job of the parent to advocate for their child's needs in schools, but information about cochlear implant care should be given to other professionals in schools such as general education teachers and other professionals that work with the child so they can also help accommodate for this student. 

Solution: 

There are many ways to support a child who wears a cochlear implant in the classroom such as:

• Cochlear implant checks before the start of the school day

  • School SLP making sure the implants are on and all external pieces attached, especially for younger children

• Preferential seating close to the teacher

• Frequent evaluation of the classroom setting and how conducive it is for the child's hearing needs

• Having batteries on site for the child's implant 

• Advocating for parents to know their own children's rights with hearing

  •  Give them resources and show them groups and alliances that can help them get any aid they need

Potential conflict to the solution: 

A common problem that occurs in the schools is a lack of organization/ knowledge surrounding cochlear implants. An important aspect of cochlear implant care is having a designated professional check the implant and make sure it is on and the sound is working well. Poor organization and communication between team members may cost the child valuable information at school that they could not learn due to inconsistent care. It is important for a school system to recognize the importance of creating the time needed and designating a professional that will participate in these checks. In addition, the child's general education teacher should be responsible for sending the student to the correct place at the beginning of the day that will perform these checks.

Ways to Increase Awareness: 

• Educating parents on the resources available to them regarding alliances/support groups for those with a person with a cochlear implant in the family

• Education for those in the school system surrounding cochlear implant care and how having a cochlear implant affects a child's hearing and ability to access effective sound information to learn. 

Resources: 

• https://www.asha.org/articles/cochlear-implants-in-the-classroom/

  • Assessment, intervention, counseling, and advocacy for cochlear implant students in the classroom

• https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/cochlear-implants/what-educators-need-know

  • Information for educators on how to best support their students in the classroom

• https://www.acialliance.org/page/AdvocacyInitiatives 

  • Education on policy surrounding cochlear implants

• https://www.cisupportcenter.com/self-advocacy-skills/

  • Self-advocacy education for adults, which parents can use to instill important self-advocacy skills in their children early on

References: 

Parkes, W. J. (2022, October). Cochlear Implants. Nemours Kids Health.      https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cochlear.html.