Hearing Loss In Children

Online Education

Back to School: Hearing Loss and Online Learning

in ,

Due to the on-going pandemic, “Back to School” is going to be considerably different this year for both students and their families. Many students will be participating in online learning, and for those who are hard of hearing, online learning comes with an additional set of challenges.

Audio can become distorted as it passes from the speaker through the computer and out to the listener, making it harder to understand. As well, if the speaker is far away from the video camera, or not facing the camera directly, the student will not be able to see their face to speech-read. And if there is any background noise from other students through their microphones, it will greatly affect the clarity of the person speaking.

Students, and especially all of our hard-working school teachers are going to be exceptionally busy this year attending to their education through multiple modes of learning. Here are some tips and tricks for both students and teachers to utilize online to help create a better learning experience!

      • Recording Classes

Recording each class would be very helpful. If a student misses a word or sentence during the class, they can go back and review the lesson afterward, allowing them to catch what they might have missed.

      • Wearing a Microphone

The teacher can utilize a high-quality headset to capture audio while they teach their lesson. It would help amplify speech and improve clarity to reduce the listening strain for the student.

      • Visual materials

Having visual materials to refer to are very important. Having a hard copy or print out of the lesson to refer to during and after the class would be beneficial, especially for hard of hearing students.

      • Take turns

This is an obvious one, but making sure only one person is talking at a time during the lesson is essential. If multiple people are speaking, it is almost impossible to understand what anyone is saying during video conferencing. Additionally, making sure everyone’s microphones are off when it is not their turn to speak is very important in order to reduce distracting background noise.

      • Using assistive listening devices

For those students wearing hearing aids, there are assistive listening devices that work in conjunction to help with direct streaming of audio from the computer directly to the hearing aids. Using FM technology or bluetooth streaming will allow the student to hear the audio straight from the computer, limiting potential distortion from the computer speaker as well as reducing the effects of distance from the speaker and having to filter the sound through potential background noise in their environment.

Lastly, this has been stated before on this blog, but it is important for students to remember: do not be afraid to ask for what you need. If you are having difficulty hearing your teacher or are missing parts of the lesson, make sure to let them know. Inform them which communication strategies work best for you, and ask for any additional teaching materials you might require.

We at Salus Hearing Centre wish everyone heading back to school a safe, educational and enjoyable school year.

Hearing Test Children

Hearing Loss Is Often Misdiagnosed in School Age Children

in ,

Hearing Test Children

Does your child have behavioural issues at school? Is your child being assessed for a learning disorder? Is your child seeing a Speech-Language Pathologist for articulation problems (speech difficulties)?

Countless school age children are misdiagnosed each year due to an undiagnosed hearing loss. Many parents believe they would know if their child could not hear well; unfortunately this is rarely the case. Speech sounds fall across a wide range of frequencies. A hearing loss across the entire speech frequency range may make sounds or speech appear softer to the child. However, if hearing loss is limited to the high frequency range a child will hear that a word or question is being asked but may not hear the word or entire sentence clearly.

It is important that you know the signs of a hearing loss in a child. Please read the common signs of hearing loss below. While these signs don’t necessarily mean that your child has a hearing problem, they could be indicators of one. If your child exhibits any of these signs it would be a good idea to book him or her a hearing assessment to rule out a hearing loss.

Signs of Hearing Loss in Children

  • Inappropriate responses to questions.
  • Watches other pupils to imitate what they are doing.
  • Speaks differently from other children his or her age.
  • Becomes tired, especially at the end of the day.
  • Problems academically.
  • Complains of earaches, ear pain or head noises.
  • Does not reply when you call him or her.
  • Turns up the volume of the TV excessively high.
  • Poor self-concept.
  • Daydreaming.
  • Apparent laziness.

Hearing is screened at birth today in hospitals across Ontario but hearing loss can occur at any age. Many toddler and preschoolers often experience middle ear infections. Children with Downs Syndrome are especially prone to middle ear infections. Sometimes these children will present with a fever or ear pain and sometimes there are no obvious signs at all. Therefore, good hearing healthcare practice states that every child should be screened for hearing loss every two years from the time they are born until the age 4, when they start Junior Kindergarten, and then every 5 years going forward.

A hearing assessment does not require a doctor’s referral. However, it is important to know who is assessing your child’s hearing. Make sure that your child is being assessed by an Audiologist as they are the hearing professionals. Audiologists are regulated professionals with a graduate degree or clinical doctorate in hearing sciences. Not all Audiologists have experience testing children or have the equipment to test them, so be sure to ask before booking an appointment. You can find a list of certified Audiologist that are close to you on the Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists website. If you reside in or around the city of Vaughan we would be happy to book your child’s hearing assessment with our Doctor of Audiology at our clinic – Salus Hearing Centre. To book an appointment please call us at 905-303-HEAR (4327).

Ready to take the next step towards better hearing?
Contact us to book an appointment.

Call us today:

(289) 963-1512

Salus Hearing And Tinnitus Centre

Accredited Business BBB

Map of Salus Hearing and Tinnitus Centre

2200 Rutherford Rd #202, Concord, ON L4K 5V2