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| 22nd January 2009 |
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Investigate Your Child's Hearing Loss Early
I once read a story in which a young schoolboy was repeatedly punished by teachers for failing to do well in class, despite being exposed to similar teaching situations as his better performing colleagues on a daily basis.
The teachers never asked him if he had any problems learning. They simply assumed he was okay - and explained away his poor performance as due to laziness. Why did they do this? Simply because he looked just like any other normal boy in the school - healthy and active. What they did not know was that the boy often struggled in class to hear what was being said in class by the different teachers. Due to the fact that he had his seat at the back of the class, the problem was worse making it difficult to take good notes, and follow what was being taught. Luckily, a visit to the school by a hearing specialist (audiologist), in which all pupils were asked to take a hearing test revealed that the boy had great difficulty hearing properly. Based on this finding, a hearing aid was eventually recommended and
fitted the boy. The impact on his performance in class showed immediately in subsequent weeks - including his participation. The school failed to know this boy had a problem for so long because none of those who had contact with him knew what signs to look for to detect the problem causing his poor performance. If only someone had thought to sit down with the boy and ask him what the problem was, he may have volunteered details of the problem he had
hearing. But fear and uncertainty prevented him from speaking out. So, what's the point being made with the above? Well, the moral is that sometimes when a child (or even adult) is not doing as well as we BELIEVE s/he can, it may not be her deliberate fault. It could be that s/he is experiencing some constraint that s/he cannot manage alone - and therefore needs help with. Which is why we should take time - especially with children - to observe them closely, and often, and then ASK them questions that can help us uncover the reason for their poor performance. However, without an awareness of what the signs and symptoms that suggest a person has difficulty in hearing, those who relate with the child may not easily discover it, in enough time to help him/her. The impact on the child's learning over time could be devastating - and the problem could worsen and cause more damage than should occur. The following are pointers to the likelihood that a child
is having hearing difficulty. If/when you notice one or more of them, it is advisable to arrange for the child to see a hearing specialist or audiologist. 1. S/he often complains of having ear aches. The above list is not exhaustive, but serves to set you off on the track to investigating what you suspect to be a hearing problem in a child (or even an adult). |
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