AN Ilkley mum has spoken about why single-sided deafness should not be underestimated, as new polling reveals gaps in public understanding of its impact on children.
Lindsay Boardman-Bradley’s two-year-old son Noah has profound deafness in his right ear, which was identified following his new born hearing screening.
After the family returned to Yorkshire from Australia, Lindsay said she sometimes felt Noah’s hearing loss was dismissed because he could hear well in his other ear.
She said: “People would say, ‘He’s got great hearing in his other ear, he’ll be fine’, but I was thinking, ‘He can’t hear in his right ear. What does that mean and what should we be doing to support him?’”
New polling of 2,000 UK adults found nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) said it can be difficult to tell when a child has mild deafness or hearing loss in one ear, while fewer than a third (31 per cent) said they knew the signs to look out for.
The National Deaf Children’s Society says children can appear to be coping well while working much harder to hear, follow conversations and join in, particularly in busy and noisy environments.
Mild deafness means a child may hear well in a quiet environment but find it much harder when there is background noise or the person speaking is further away.
Single-sided deafness means a child has hearing loss in one ear, which can range from mild to profound.
A nationally representative poll of 2,000 UK adults found only around a third (36 per cent) agreed that mild deafness or hearing loss in one ear can have a great impact on a child’s daily life, while one in five (20 per cent) thought it has little or no impact.
The findings come as the National Deaf Children’s Society launches a new campaign, What You See, What You Don’t, to shine a light on the experiences of children with mild or single-sided deafness.
The charity wants to support more families to learn about their child’s hearing loss and access information, advice and services.
Lindsay with her husband, Noah and Noah's brother Beau, aged five (Image: submitted)
The National Deaf Children’s Society says mild or single-sided deafness can affect different areas of a child’s development, including language and communication, literacy, concentration and social skills. Children can also find it harder than adults to fill in the gaps when they miss parts of a conversation, as they are still developing their language, knowledge and understanding of the world.
George Crockford, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “The word ‘mild’ can make this level of hearing loss seem insignificant, and people may assume that a child with single-sided deafness will use their other ear to compensate. But that may not reflect the child’s experience.
“A child may chat easily with a friend in a quiet room, but in a noisy classroom or playground they may have to work much harder to follow what is happening. They may miss parts of conversations or come home exhausted from the extra effort of listening.
“That’s what makes mild or single-sided deafness so easy to underestimate. A child can look like they’re coping when there’s much more going on underneath.
“But with the right understanding and support, children can do really well. Simple adjustments, like reducing background noise, making sure a child can see your face when you’re speaking and thinking about where they sit in the classroom, can make a real difference.”
Noah can sometimes struggle to tell where sounds are coming from and can become tired from listening. With support from the National Deaf Children’s Society, his nursery has made simple changes, including making sure staff sit on his hearing side and positioning him so he can see as well as hear during story time.
Lindsay added: “Despite all my worries, Noah’s doing amazingly well. His speech is on track, he’s independent, confident and very smiley, and he’s made lots of friends at nursery. He’s doing brilliantly.”
The National Deaf Children’s Society is encouraging families of children with mild or single-sided deafness to find out more about the support available for their child and the simple adjustments that can make listening, communicating and joining in easier, not just at home, but in education settings, social situations and everyday life.
Families looking for information, advice or support can contact the National Deaf Children’s Society Helpline on 0808 800 8880 or visit www.ndcs.org.uk/about-us/helpline. Families can request a call back with an interpreter in their preferred language.