Hearing is closely linked with speech and language development. So much so that your speech and language therapist will most likely ask about your child’s hearing and history of hearing tests in your first appointment.
It’s World Hearing Day on the 3rd of March 2024. With this day in mind, this post aims to raise awareness around the connection between hearing and speech delays, and why a referral to an audiologist (hearing specialist) may be recommended by a speech and language therapist.
World Hearing Day
This year, The World Health Organisation’s World Hearing Day aims to share information to help overcome misperceptions linked to hearing loss and related difficulties.
So as part of this upcoming awareness day, I’m sharing why understanding your child’s hearing is so important.
The Link Between Hearing and a Speech Delay
Children develop their spoken language and speech by listening to the sounds around them and copying what they hear.
Did you know that your ears have an outer (the part we see), middle and inner part? Hearing starts with your outer ears directing sounds towards your eardrum. These sounds cause your eardrum to vibrate. These small vibrations travel through your middle ear (did you know that the middle ear has the smallest bone in the human body?) and then the inner ear.
This is where they change into signals that are sent through your auditory (hearing) nerve to your brain. From there, your brain processes and links these sounds to language and meaning. Pretty cool right?
When hearing loss is experienced, particularly in the early stages of development, the sounds and speech delivered to the brain are different. As a result, the language and meaning linked to what is heard is different. This can make understanding language (receptive language) and talking (expressive language) difficult.
Related Post: The Different Between Receptive Language and Expressive Language
Imagine trying to learn a new language in a muffled setting and only picking up on parts of the conversation. Your understanding of that new language and the links you’ve made would be different. So the next time, you try to say those new words and phrases, you may say them differently. Understandably, you might be left feeling confused and frustrated.
With hearing being so closely linked to speech and language development, even temporary hearing loss in those early years may have an impact.
A Common Cause of Temporary Hearing Loss
Temporary hearing loss can occur at any time. In young children, this is often due to recurrent ear infections and Glue Ear.
Glue Ear is where fluid builds up behind the eardrum due to an illness like a cold or infection. Your little one may experience muffled hearing, difficulty understanding, earache or ear pain, and sometimes difficulties with their balance.
Find more information about Glue Ear and seeing your GP (U.K.) here
Why a Speech and Language Therapist may Recommend Hearing Tests
As a speech and language therapist, I’m sometimes met with confusion when I ask about a child’s hearing or if I recommend a referral to an audiologist. Here are a couple reasons why hearing tests may be advised:
1 – Early Identification
Newborn hearing tests are often offered at birth or within the first 4 or 5 weeks of life. This is to identify if there are any hearing differences that your baby may be born with. Early identification of hearing loss is key when it comes to helping your child’s development and learning.
As your child grows, if you or a health professional have concerns about your child’s hearing and/or speech and language development, a referral for hearing tests may be recommended.
2 – Understanding Your Child’s Speech Delay
Hearing tests help work out if hearing loss is contributing to your child’s speech delay. Something I find fascinating about speech sounds is that they have different frequencies and volumes. Therefore hearing at these different frequencies is important for speech production.
Speech sounds like “f, s, th” have a higher frequency and are quieter sounds. Whereas speech sounds like “m, u, n” have a lower frequency and are a bit louder.
A mild hearing loss can affect those high-frequency, quiet sounds. Your speech and language therapist may recommend hearing tests to gain a better understanding of which speech sounds your child can hear.
This helps with understanding how to better support your child’s speech and language development.
World Hearing Day can be helpful as a reminder to reflect on your child’s hearing. More information about hearing tests offered by the NHS (National Health Service UK) can be found here.
Trust your gut! If you have any concerns about your child’s speech and language development and/or hearing, contact your Health Nurse, GP or your local speech and language therapy services.
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