Early discovery in hearing loss increases chance of recovery

A hearing loss detected before the age of one has more chance of recovery though the impact of hearing impairment on a child's speech, language, education and social integration depends on the degree and type of hearing impairment and the age of onset.
Director Ziauddin College of Speech and Language Therapy Amina Siddiqui stated this on a workshop titled 'Hearing Impairment - What mainstream teachers should know and can do'.
She said child's speech and language skills undergo maximum development in the first three years therefore this period in a child's life is known as the critical age. Children with untreated hearing impairment often experience delayed development of speech, language skills. This can result in slow learning and extreme difficulty progressing at mainstream school. These children may even suffer from social stigmatisation and isolation as a result of hearing impairment. Therefore, early intervention of hearing impairment in babies and young children is essential to prevent problems in speech, language and, subsequently, educational development.
Amna said infants identified with hearing loss can be fitted with amplification by as young as 4 weeks of age. Children who are given early intervention can be mainstreamed into regular schools. Mainstreaming occurs when a child with hearing impairment adapts according to the demands of the school system.
She said that since hearing aids, and especially cochlear implants are so expensive, it makes it even more important to give them to the child as early as possible for maximal benefit.
Earlier speakers pointed out some types of hearing impairments. Conductive hearing loss occurs when sound is not conducted efficiently through the outer ear canal to the eardrum and the tiny bones, or ossicles, of the middle ear. Conductive hearing loss usually involves a reduction in sound level, or the ability to hear faint sounds. This type of hearing loss can often be medically or surgically corrected.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. It cannot be medically or surgically corrected; it is a permanent loss. Sensorineural hearing loss not only involves a reduction in sound level, or ability to hear faint sounds, but also has drastic effects on speech understanding, or ability to hear clearly.-PR