Table of contents:
The ear is one part of the body that is very important in helping children practice their communication skills. Every sound that is picked up by the ear sound receiver will make it easier for children to learn about things around them. Hearing loss in children will certainly interfere with their ability to speak. So, is a deaf child also mute?
Is it true that a deaf child is definitely mute?
Source: REM Audiology
Generally, children who are deaf do have difficulty speaking. Even if they speak fluently, there are still some letters or words that feel difficult to pronounce, especially in consonants. Often their pronunciation is also not as clear as the pronunciation of people with good hearing function.
However, this does not mean that children who are deaf must also be born mute. The ability to communicate is also influenced by the deaf condition of each child.
There are two types of conditions that deaf people have, namely sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss is a condition in which a person has permanent hearing loss. This situation occurs when there is damage to small cells such as hair from the inner ear. It could also be due to damage to the auditory nerve which weakens the nerves when sending signals that carry information about sound to the brain.
While, conductive hearing loss is a condition that occurs when there is an obstruction or disturbance in the outer and middle ear that prevents sound from entering the inner ear. This hearing loss is usually temporary, but it can be permanent depending on the severity and cause.
Not only at birth, a person can lose hearing after knowing language. In deaf children who have this case, they may still have better speech skills and are uncertainly mute.
It is different if the deafness that is owned by a child has existed since birth. Children with this condition have difficulty learning to communicate because they cannot hear all the sounds around them or their own voices from the time they are born. That's why the development of their language is delayed.
Train children who are deaf in how to communicate
Indeed, with a malfunctioning sense of hearing, teaching a child to speak will be more difficult. It will take them longer to understand words and their meanings, as well as how to use them to form a sentence.
Usually, deaf children also tend to use shorter and simpler sentences to communicate and that does not necessarily mean that they are mute.
It is still important to train deaf children to communicate. Without proper treatment, early hearing loss will certainly affect their future life, both academic problems at school and their social life.
Therefore, the presence of a caregiver in collaboration with a pathologist will help guide the child to continue practicing. With the help of these professionals, they will provide appropriate speech therapy for children.
Usually the therapist will add listening games to the session to help the child progress in therapy.
It may be thought that children with more severe deafness will be unable to speak or are definitely mute. In fact, research shows that they can begin to develop their speaking skills.
x
