The kind of school a young person who is deaf goes to depends on what suits them best. Some children prefer to go to schools that are for deaf children only. Many others go to ordinary schools. Some rely on hearing aids or equipment such as radio aids to allow them to attend classes alongside children who can hear. They may have some extra help, perhaps with their speech, from specially trained teachers who come to the school. Some have their lessons with other deaf children in special classrooms that are part of an ordinary school. Although they have many lessons separately, they usually have some lessons with hearing children and join in with activities such as school trips and assemblies.

How does it feel to be deaf?

There are lots of devices deaf people can use to help in practical ways, but how does it feel to be deaf? Some young people who are deaf say they have times when it gets them down. They may feel cut off from other people or they may resent having to wear hearing aids or use special equipment. People who are deaf are also sometimes teased at school or treated as if they were different.

Most people who are deaf say that being deaf is just a small part of who they are. They can do all or nearly all the things other people can do – and just as well. Most of the time, young people who are deaf just get on with living their life. As well as making friends at school or home, they may join clubs or groups to meet other young people who are deaf. Many deaf children are proud to be deaf and enjoy being part of the deaf community.

When an older child goes to the doctor because they are worried about their hearing, the doctor first talks about when and how they find it difficult to hear. For example, is it hard to hear anything at all, or do they catch just snatches of conversation in a noisy classroom? Doctors also ask if there is anything that might have caused the problem, such as a recent illness. Then they check the ears to see if there is a blockage. If there is not, and the doctor feels there may be another reason for the hearing difficulties, the child may be sent to see an audiologist.

This boy is having his hearing tested. The machine bleeps at different levels of loudness so the audiologist can find out which sounds he can hear.

An audiologist carries out hearing tests. There are a number of different tests for measuring hearing. The audiologist decides which test to use, depending on the age of the person and the kind of hearing loss they are being tested for. The results of the tests are often marked on an audiogram. This is a chart that shows what sounds a child can hear and how loud a sound has to be before they can hear it.

Testing for deafness

It is important that children who are deaf are diagnosed as early as possible. Once they are diagnosed, they can get the help they need to learn to communicate. Hearing is especially important because, as a baby grows into a child, listening to people is usually the way they learn most of all – until they learn to read and write

In some countries, hearing is tested as soon as a baby is born. In other places, a baby may only be tested if there were difficulties during the birth or if the baby was born very early and is quite small. Hearing tests are also done when babies and young children have their standard health check-ups. Doctors or health visitors do simple checks at first. Then, if they spot a problem, they send the child to see a specialist.

It is possible to test the hearing of babies as young as one day old. It does not bother them. Some babies even sleep through the test!

Testing for deafness

What causes deafness?

People are deaf because a part of their hearing system does not work. There are lots of different reasons why this happens, causing different kinds and levels of deafness. Often doctors may not be exactly sure why a person is deaf.

Most children and young people are deaf or hard of hearing because sound cannot pass through the outer and middle ear to the cochlea. This is often because there is something blocking the ear passage, usually fluid in the middle ear (this is called ‘glue ear’). This kind of deafness can also be caused by an infection. Usually this kind of hearing loss lasts only a short while.

I hope that this short article on what causes deafness will help you.

People who are deaf are just as capable of communicating with other people as those who can hear. It is just that they use other ways of talking and listening. They may learn to speak and listen with the help of equipment such as hearing aids. These make sounds louder or easier to hear. It may mean they learn to use a language using their hands to sign what they want to say. It does not really matter. After all, what is important about communication is getting across what you want to say, not how you say it.

Deafness is not being able to hear well. If there is a child in your school who is deaf, it means they may not be able to hear some of the sounds around them. They may, for example, be unable to hear teachers talking or friends laughing, or the sound of the bell ringing at the end of playtime.

Some children are born deaf, and others become deaf through illness or some other cause when they are older. There are many different kinds of deafness and many different levels. Young people who are partly deaf may simply have trouble following what people say if there is a lot of noise in the background. A few people are profoundly deaf, which means they hear very little.

Ways of communicating

Being deaf does not mean you cannot do your schoolwork perfectly well. It’s just that some people may need extra support.

We all need to be able to communicate – to tell other people what we think and how we feel, and to understand what they think and feel. From the moment we are born we start to learn about other people and the world around us by communicating. Of all our five senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste – most of us think of hearing as the most important for keeping in touch with other people.

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