Deafness and hearing impairment

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A person with a hearing impairment has trouble hearing certain sounds. The most severe form of hearing impairment is deafness, which means no sound is heard. Hearing impairment and deafness can be inherited. The conditions can also be caused by infections (in the womb or after birth), severe jaundice, brain disorders, trauma and repeated exposure to loud noise.

A child’s speech and language development can be affected by hearing loss, but the extent of impairment in language skills can be affected by the following: when the condition began, when it was noticed and when treatment started. For example, a child who has learned to speak (or can understand language) and later experiences hearing loss has less difficulty with speech than a child who is born with a hearing impairment.

Even so, spoken language is not the only way for deaf or hearing-impaired children to communicate. Sign language and other visual ways of communicating are very effective and accessible.

Early intervention, with hearing aids fitted before the age of six months, is often very successful at helping a child’s language development. Cochlear implants or corrective surgery can also help.

The following professionals can help: clinical geneticist, genetic counsellor, otolaryngologist, audiologist, specialist teacher, speech pathologist.

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