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Poor hearing poses learning challenge

Parents should be wary of any hearing problems developing in newborn babies, as they could result in learning obstacles later in life, an otolaryngologist said.

Tien Hui-chi (田輝勣), president of a local hearing and speech lab, said that parents should pay attention to children who speak slowly and with unclear pronunciation, as they may have a hearing problem.

Tien cited a case in which a junior high- school student had been considered by his parents and teachers as mentally retarded since elementary school and was therefore sent to special education class. The boy was later determined to have a moderate hearing problem that had affected his learning.

Children with hearing problems will have only half the learning ability of other hearing children, Tien said, adding that their ability in listening, speaking, reading and writing will significantly improve after receiving a hearing aid.

Lin Shu-feng (林淑紛), a mother with a hearing impaired 12-year-old, said she found her son was not easily frightened by outside noises as an infant.

At first, she was happy to have such a "tranquil baby" and was shocked to discover that her son was still not responsive to any sounds by the age of six months.

Lin said her son's learning capability improved substantially after he received a cochlear implant for hearing-impaired children.
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