Hearing Loss and Deafness: How Misconceptions Affect Those with Hearing Disorders

There are only a few things you can say to a new mom that will terrify her. One is that there is something medically wrong with their child. Whether it be an extra chromosome, a rare disorder, or even an unknown syndrome, the feeling is the same. Another is telling that mom that her child has failed his newborn hearing test. There are others to be certain, but those are the two that hit me the hardest when Jaxson came along. While he still has not been diagnosed with any known syndrome, that is not something that can be discussed in one blog. Instead, I want to talk about hearing loss and deafness.

The first thing I would tell any parent who has been told that their child failed the screening is this: Don't panic or freak out until you see an audiologist! Just because the screen comes out as a fail does not mean the child will be deaf. There are many reasons that a newborn fails the hearing test: fluid in the ears, a blockage in the ear canal, a nerve problem, etc. The test is designed to catch babies who DO have a hearing loss as early as possible. The same goes for the vision screening. A fail does not mean blind, it simply means there may be something that needs addressed. So the first thing you need to do is stay calm, and ask when you can have further testing done by an audiologist.

Once you get the answer to why the screen came out as a fail, you can then address the problem. Whether it be to put tubes in the ears, hearing aids, surgery to remove a blockage or even that the child is completely deaf, you know where you stand and what your child can and cannot hear. You will also know the next steps in the process, how often you'll have to follow up, and whether or not the condition has a chance of improving.



Technology has come a long way in assisting people who are deaf or hard of hearing. There's hearing aids and cochlear implants, there is a plethora of information on how to learn sign language and how to communicate with your child. The problem with such fantastic advances in technology is that, often, the social stigma that is attached to a certain group does not always go away at the same pace, or even at all. For the deaf community, this is a huge problem.

Growing up I did not encounter very many people who were deaf or hard of hearing, at least not in my own age group. Sure, everyone has a relative who lost the ability to hear due to age or (in my grandfather's case) war experience. But I never knew anyone my age who had to deal with it. I'm not sure how I would have handled it if I did. Many people assume (wrongly) that because someone is deaf that they must not be very smart. In fact, the opposite is true the vast majority of the time. Deafness can occur as a single defect or with other congenital defects, and most people have normal intelligence. Personally, I believe this stems from the inability to form words properly so that people can understand them. For example, the majority of people we come across think that Jaxson is blowing a kiss when he's really signing "Thank you," which is one of the most recognized and used signs by people who have no experience with the deaf community. Not only was this frustrating for me as a mom, but Jaxson was very confused because he has always been surrounded by people who understand him.

There is an extreme lack of education regarding hearing loss in today's society. With the advances in technology I described earlier, people born with (or who acquire) a hearing loss have many more opportunities now than they ever have before. If Jaxson had been born 20 years ago, we might never have known he had a hearing loss until he failed to speak properly at the right age. Because we knew about his problem, we expected the delay and have been able to put in extra work and therapy to get him up to where he needs to be. The issue is communication, and when people cannot communicate with what is the socially accepted "norm", they automatically assume that the other person is an idiot.

As a mom, this drives me batty. I know how smart my son is. He may be behind developmentally, but there is nothing wrong with his ability to think and reason out problems. He wears his hearing aids when I can make him, but at 2.5, it doesn't happen often. He still challenges himself and is now becoming more confident in his ability to try new words, which I believe is helping his confidence in other areas. Jax may be too young to understand everything that's going on around him, but he definitely knows when people treat him differently or don't understand him. He gets frustrated, sometimes he asks for mommy or daddy, sometimes he gets whatever it is he wants or tries to show you what it is, and sometimes it's too much for him and he just cries until you figure it out. It's not a very fun way to live, let me tell you. I'm quite sure Jax knows something is different about him, so when he cannot communicate, it impacts that thought process and makes things worse.

I'm not saying that everyone should go and learn sign language, although I think it would be really neat if more of the population took an interest in it, but I am saying that we need more education and awareness around the situation. Just because you can't hear something, or have a hard time hearing something, does not mean that you are not smart. It simply means that you need to communicate in a different manner, and others should be accepting and understanding of that. If Jaxson, at two years old, can communicate using American Sign Language, then others should be able to as well. Our entire family learned sign language so we can communicate with him. I do not expect the entire world to do that, but if we could get just a few more people out there who are willing to learn, and willing to try and understand what it's like to have a hearing problem, then we're moving in the right direction.

Here are some fun stats for you:

• According to the National Center for Health Statistics 48 million (20 percent) Americans have some degree of hearing loss making it a public health issue third in line after heart disease and arthritis.


• There are three types of hearing loss: Conductive (loss is due to problems with the ear canal, ear drum, or middle ear and its little bones (the malleus, incus, and stapes), Sensorineural (loss is due to problems of the inner ear, also known as nerve-related hearing loss), and mixed (a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve).


• About 20 percent of adults in the United States, 48 million, report some degree of hearing loss.


• At age 65, one out of three people has a hearing loss.


• 60 percent of the people with hearing loss are either in the work force or in educational settings.


• While people in the workplace with the mildest hearing losses show little or no drop in income compared to their normal hearing peers, as the hearing loss increases, so does the reduction in compensation.


• About 2-3 of every 1,000 children are hard of hearing or deaf


• Estimated that 30 school children per 1,000 have a hearing loss


• Gradual hearing loss can affect people of all ages


• Hearing loss is an invisible condition; we cannot see hearing loss, only its effects. Because the presence of a hearing loss is not visible, these effects may be attributed to aloofness, confusion, or personality change


• Sudden, noise-induced hearing loss from gunfire and explosions is the number one disability caused by combat in current wars.


• More often than not severe tinnitus (or ringing in the ears) will accompany the hearing loss and may be just as debilitating as the hearing loss itself


• One in Five Adolescents Has Hearing Loss: Ear Buds May Be to Blame

Now here's a list of sounds and their decible levels:
Painful

• 150 dB = fireworks at 3 feet


• 140 dB = firearms, jet engine


• 130 dB = jackhammer


• 120 dB = jet plane takeoff, siren

Extremely Loud

• 110 dB = maximum output of some MP3 players, model airplane, chain saw


• 106 dB = gas lawn mower, snow blower


• 100 dB = hand drill, pneumatic drill


• 90 dB = subway, passing motorcycle

Very Loud

• 80–90 dB = blow-dryer, kitchen blender, food processor


• 70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner, alarm clock

Moderate

• 60 dB = typical conversation, dishwasher, clothes dryer


• 50 dB = moderate rainfall


• 40 dB = quiet room

Faint

• 30 dB = whisper, quiet library


• Decibel Loudness Comparison Chart source: From It’s a Noisy Plant: Protect Their Hearing

Remember this as well, a person can have a hearing loss at any, all or a few different tone levels. Of course this only makes it more difficult for the person with the loss to cope and figure out how sounds really work. But again, the advances in technology are amazing. There are even waterproof hearing aids now, which I find pretty amazing! And, just for kids, the molds that hold the aids in place can now be color customized in just about any way you like. Jaxson's are scarlet and gray, as any Ohio State Buckeye fan would have. For us, it becomes a talking point. A way for people to break the ice who want to ask us questions but don't know where to start. We use it to our advantage and talk to people about the benefits of sign language, and not just for those who have a hearing loss. It's proven that children who learn ASL at an early age have less tantrums and higher IQ scores.

I can attest to the lack of tantrums myself. Jaxson has an older brother, who we did baby sign language with when he was younger. Now, Jeffrey was an angel until about age 4. He never threw fits, did not act out, always listened and did not have a problem using his signs. When I say that, it doesn't mean he didn't have the occasional tantrum, every kid does. I just mean it was a rare occurrence. With Jax, it's been a little bit different. He has a fiercer personality with undeniable stubbornness and a need to push you to the next level. He does not throw fits. He only cries when he gets hurt, scared or sick. He uses his signs every single day and probably knows more words in sign language than toddlers his age can say. Both boys get rave reviews from their teachers at school, and both are smarter than they would have you think.

So, if we educate our children early on with sign language, not only will they benefit with a second language and higher IQs, but they will learn that those who have a hearing loss or are deaf are just as normal as they are. It's like any other disorder, the more awareness and education we give it, the better the results will be. Let's end discrimination altogether by teaching our children that "different" doesn't mean "bad" or "less", it just means different. And while different can sometimes be scary or uncomfortable, if we learn about it and understand it, we find that "different" isn't quite so scary or uncomfortable as we thought.

Statistics sources:
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Other sources:
National Information Center on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders,
National Institutes of Health,
National Council on Aging,
The MarkeTrak VIII Study by Sergei Kochkin, Ph.D.