Hearing Aids for a Younger Market
Hearing loss for many is an incredibly daunting thing, a life changing experience which changes people’s worlds completely, and whilst hearing aids can help people enormously, people often go for months or even years with problems untreated from fear of stigma associated with hearing aids.
Without hearing aids, those with hearing problems can become isolated from friends and family, and can begin to step back from social situations. It can make working life an absolute nightmare, and untreated, hearing loss can prove to be very harmful.
Manufacturers are acutely aware of the stigma which has come to be associated with hearing aids, and products are starting to appear that are not only designed to improve hearing for those with significant hearing loss, but are also designed to blend in with today’s image and lifestyle.
Hearing aids are now tiny compared to how they used to be, they come in all manor of colours and shapes. Sitting very neatly behind the ear, they could quite easily be mistaken for a Bluetooth headset, which is often not far from the truth as the devices also feature some hi-tech built-in functionality such as Bluetooth connectivity which will connect a hearing aid to communicate with other devices such as a mobile phone.
The Sussex Audiology Centre offers a fantastic range of hearing aids in West Sussex and around the Sussex area.
Digital Hearing Aids – Now Cutting Edge Hi-Tech Gadgets
For many years there has been a stigma surrounding hearing aids as unsightly and large objects that sit, very obviously, behind the ear. This is no longer the case as advances in hearing aid technology have made rapid advances in recent years.
With the introduction of smaller, more hi-tech hearing aids, the appeal of these devices is likely to lead to less concern and anguish for young people who suffer from hearing difficulties but are hesitant because of the negative image surrounding hearing aids.
Many digital hearing aids now feature built in Bluetooth technology which, via a transmitter worn round the neck or in a pocket, will link a hearing aid to a mobile phone or mp3 player – functionality that just wasn’t available in past years and something that greatly appeals to the younger generation.
Advances in digital hearing aids have not only meant sizes reductions and pretty colours – the actual functionality of the devices has improved monumentally.
Analogue hearing aids used to contain small microphones and amplifiers which would increase the volume of sound, but the problem with this was background noise was also amplified and so sound quality was not even close to what is experience by digital hearing aid users today. Analogue hearing aids also picked up feedback from certain electronic devices and transmit a whining sound into the wearer’s ears, whereas recent digital technology has meant that background noise is drastically reduced and even soft speech is audible.
It is fantastic to see such major+ advances which will completely change people’s perspective of hearing aids, advances which will help to improve the quality of life of many.
Should Sign Language be Taught at School?
Sign language is a manual communication language often used among the deaf and hard of hearing communities. Hearing aids are not readily available to everyone, and are also not a solution for every case of deafness and hearing impairment, and this is where sign language becomes the answer to specific needs.
Sign language is often thought of as a language for the deaf, but other uses are very obvious like certain social situations where audible speech is not appropriate such as a library. Would we all benefit from learning this form or language, and should sign language be taught to children from an early age?
Many think so, and the teaching of sign language to young children is known as baby sign. The theory goes that speech lags behind cognitive ability, and can lead children to frustration and tantrums when they are unable to effectively communicate their wants and needs through speech.
The belief is that children who are taught to sign at around 6 months old are able to effectively communicate through sign language at around 9 months.
Sign language helps to bridge any gap between deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people, but it can also bridge cultural gaps, and where language can be greatly different, sign language can plug the gap and aid communication.
Sign languages also have their advantages in social situations such as in busy, crowded areas where it is noisy such as bars. It can also be used in areas where speech may not be allowed such as in museums, libraries, cinemas and theatres.
Scuba diving, recording studios, stock exchanges and other loud workplaces are further examples of where sign language would be an incredibly useful form of communication.
Of course there are initiatives out there which are actively promoting sign language in children, both deaf and hearing. A CBeebies program aimed at young children is one example of how sign language is being taught you children from an early age. Something Special, which features the friendly and animated presenter Mr Tumble, aims to teach young children how to use Makaton sign language to communicate.
Common worries of teaching sign language to young children is that it may in fact inhibit the development of vocal speech, but this is not that case, in fact quite the opposite. Studies have shown that sign language communication from a young age can in fact encourage the development of speech in young children.There is also said to be benefits for autistic children. The Helena Independent Record shows that a nine year old boy, who hadn’t communicated since he was 2 years old, began to communicate basic needs through sign language.
Sign language is clearly useful for everyday situations. When you consider the benefits for everyday people, on top of the benefits that have been seen in children and their development, surely sign language is something that every child should be taught.