By Ma. Yvette Heart Calimlim
Hearing is one of the important sensory organ that we have and a child’s ability to hear and speak is essential for their emotional, educational development and even achievements in life. If one of the sensory organ of a child is damaged, there would be an untoward effect to the child if there is no intervention considered. Early intervention can help us be aware on how we can help our child facing this difficulty.
What causes hearing loss for children?
- Congenital causes means hearing loss is present at birth. Can be hereditary or experience problem at the time of birth. Some congenital causes aside from hereditary would be prematurity, maternal diabetes, anoxia, German measles, and simplex virus.
- Acquired causes means it appears after the child was born, at any time who experiences injury, serious medical condition like chicken fox, noise exposure, otitis media, mumps, influenza, meningitis, ototoxic and even head injury.
How can we help our children face this hearing loss?
We parents should always trust our instinct. Before the doctor would know your child’s condition, as parents we are the ones who can actually evaluate our child’s problem, a normal child can hear loud noise like fireworks, ambulance passing through, dog barking and many more. But if you feel your child is suffering from ear infection or signs of hearing loss, immediately seek help.
What action to take?
1. Find an Pediatric Audiologist , Ear, Nose and Throat doctor (ENT) or Speech Pathologist , so they can see your child.
2. Have your child tested for an OAE, an initial test and often part of the newborn screening program.
3. Once confirmed and diagnosed, help your child and stay loop in every procedure need to take.
4. Be open to people and let them know what your child’s hearing condition.
5. Seek support on community group for this cases so to feel you’re not alone and discouraged.
6. Secure your child’s hearing aid and encourage him to use it at all times possible. Get him aided.
7. Support your child to communicate and this takes a lot of patience, speak in a calm manner. You can use body language, gesture to emphasize your message.
8. If you can afford, have your child attend therapies for those clinics who specializes in hearing loss.
9. As much as possible, maintain a calm environment for your child so for him to build confidence and feel relaxed.
10. Never give up, in this generation anything is possible.
Hearing loss can be managed by wearing appropriate hearing aid according to your child’s hearing problem severity, if the child’s aid cannot give sufficient support, a cochlear implant, a surgical procedure for 12 months of age and older. For some parent, this is so difficult to understand and accept. You would even think that why this needs to happen to your child? We parents should not show any discourage feeling so our children can cope day by day and manage these difficulties.
A child with hearing impairment can live normal. Parents should consider different options for the child’s education according to his degree of hearing loss, a school that supports hearing impairment, speech and language development.
Know that a child with hearing loss future is bright. A child can even excel in every profession he wants as long as the parents and relative have strong support, a chance of long term progress and success in every child’s endeavor. Let’s not lose hope and have faith that everything will be alright and we should stand by with our children and let us show more love and support.
Source: http://www.asha.org/ ; http://www.hear-the-world.com/
