Hearing loss in early childhood can affect language development in many ways. Let’s look at some common challenges faced by children with hearing loss as well as what can be done to help improve their learning ability.
Children with Hearing Loss Are Slower to Develop Vocabulary
Vocabulary skills don’t develop as quickly in young children with hearing loss as opposed to their peers who have normal hearing. Specifically, you might notice that children who struggle to hear:
- Understand concrete words like “dog,” but struggle with more abstract terms like “before” or “after.”
- Have difficulty understanding words with multiple meanings
- Speak in shorter sentences
- Learn to read at a slower pace
- Have trouble both understanding and expressing more complex sentences
- Have difficulty hearing words that end in “s” or “ed” making it harder to pick up on different tenses
- Trouble gauging the volume of their own voice when they speak
Hearing Loss Can Affect Academic Performance
These delays in language development can affect your child’s ability to perform well in class at Central Elementary or another school. They may struggle in all subjects, particularly with reading and mathematical concepts.
Without proper treatment, the achievement gap between children with hearing loss and those with normal hearing widens with age.
Social Relationships are Harder for Children Who Struggle to Hear
Young people with hearing loss may have trouble picking up on auditory clues or struggle with pronunciation. They may try to mimic their peers and pretend to understand what is being said, which can lead to misunderstandings. Children with hearing loss often report feeling isolated and struggle to make friends in school.
Children’s Hearing Aids Help Close Development Gap
Research has shown that treating hearing loss in children can help close the language development gap.
One study published in 2016 examined the language outcomes of preschool-aged children with mild to severe hearing loss and the role hearing aids played in their development.
They found that children fit early with hearing aids had better early language achievement than children fit later. However, children who were fit after 18 months were still able to improve their language abilities with the help of hearing aids.
If you are concerned about your child’s hearing, contact San Diego ENT today to speak to a specialist or schedule an appointment.