Hearing is vital to speech and language development and for learning. Audiologists can check children’s hearing and help with any problems and speech pathologists can check speech and language-related disorders. Hearing sounds and words help children learn to speak and understand. A toddler with hearing impairment misses out on these sounds, this may cause problems with speaking, reading, school success, and social skills. It’s important to the kid-tested if you’re thinking that he has trouble in hearing. Getting help early is essential for overall development.

Hearing loss in children can lead to:

• Delayed speech and language skills
• Learning problems in class
• Feeling bad about himself
• Having trouble in making friends

Learning Words:

Children with hearing impairment don’t learn words as fast as people who have normal hearing. They may:

• Learn concrete words like cat, jump, five, and red. However, they will have trouble with abstract words like before, equal to, and shy. They will not use words just like the, an, are, and a.
• Have trouble in knowing the various meanings of a word. Consider the word bat. It can mean a flying animal or what we use to play baseball. A toddler with a hearing impairment might not understand these meanings.
• Fall farther behind children with normal hearing as they grow up. Children with hearing disorders don’t catch up without help.

Learning Sentences:

Children with deafness may have trouble in understanding and using sentences.  They may:

• Understand and use shorter sentences than children with normal hearing.
• Have problems with more complex sentences. They will not use clauses in their sentences. An example of a clause is “When I buy a home, I’ll eat dinner.” they’ll not use voice. An example of this can be “The ball was thrown by Mary.”
• Have trouble hearing word endings, like -s or -ed. They’ll not understand or use plural words, like cats. They’ll not use past/ like walked and possessives, like Bob’s, will be hard to listen to or use.

Learning to speak:

Children with hearing impairment cannot hear sounds well. They will have problems speaking clearly. They may:

• Not use seems like s, sh, f, t, or k. These are quiet sounds that are hard to listen to.
• Not hear their voices after they speak. They will be too loud or too soft. They’ll speak at a high frequency. People might imagine they mumble or sound different.

School success:

Children with deafness have trouble at school. Reading is the toughest for them. Some facts about hearing impairment and college success include:

• Children with mild to moderate hearing impairment may fall one to four grade levels behind without help.
• Children with the more severe hearing disorder might not learn past the third or fourth-grade level. School support will help them do better.
• Children with deafness don’t do as children with normal hearing. The gap between them grows over time.
• Children with deafness will do better at school if they get help early. This includes support from parents and families.

Social skills:

Hearing loss can make it harder to speak with others. Children might not want to speak or play with other kids. Children with deafness may

• Feel alone and like they need no friends.
• Be unhappy at school.

The most important thing you’ll do is to possess your child’s hearing test. With early help, a child may speak or use language furthermore as children who hear. An audiologist can test a child’s hearing. He or she will be able to consult with you about the most effective treatment. This could include medical treatment, hearing aids, or speech and language therapy. There are four major ways during which hearing impairment affects children:

1. It causes delay within the development of receptive and expressive communication skills (speech and language).
2. The language deficit causes learning problems that end in reduced academic achievement.
3. Communication difficulties often result in social isolation and poor self-concept.
4. It’s going to have an impression on vocational choices.

Effects on Vocabulary:

Vocabulary develops more slowly in children who have a hearing disorder.

1. Children with hearing disorders learn concrete words like cat, jump, five, and red more easily than abstract words like before, after, equal to, and jealous. They even have difficulty with function words just like the, an, are, and a.
2. The gap between the vocabulary of youngsters with normal hearing and people with hearing impairment widens with age. Children with hearing impairment don’t catch up without intervention.
3. Children with hearing disorder have difficulty understanding words with multiple meanings. For instance, the word bank can mean the sting of a stream or an area where we put money.

Sentence structure:

1. Children with deafness comprehend and produce shorter and simpler sentences than children with normal hearing.
2. Children with deafness often have difficulty understanding and writing complex sentences, like those with relative clauses (“The teacher whom I’ve got for math was sick today.”) or passive (“The ball was thrown by Mary.”)
3. Children with the hearing disorder often cannot hear word endings like -s or -ed. This ends up in misunderstandings and misuse of verb tense, pluralization, nonagreement of subject and verb, and possessives.

Speeking :

1. Children with the hearing disorder often cannot hear quiet speech sounds like “s,” “sh,” “f,” “t,” and “k” and so don’t include them in their speech. Thus, speech could also be difficult to grasp.
2. Children with hearing impairment might not hear their voices after they speak. they’ll speak too loudly or not loud enough.

Academics :

Children with deafness have difficulty with all areas of educational achievement, especially reading and mathematical concepts.

1. Children with mild to moderate hearing losses, on average, achieve one to four grade levels not up to their peers with normal hearing, unless appropriate management occurs.
2. Children with severe to profound deafness usually achieve skills no on top of the third or fourth-grade level, unless appropriate educational intervention occurs early.
3. The gap in academic achievement between children with normal hearing and people with deafness usually widens as they progress through school.
4. The level of accomplishment is said to be parental involvement and therefore the quantity, quality, and timing of the support services children receive.

Social functioning :

Children with severe to profound hearing losses often report feeling isolated, without friends, and unhappy at school, particularly when their socialization with other children with deafness is restricted. These social problems appear to be more frequent in children with light or moderate hearing losses than in those with severe to profound loss.

Dr. Vivek Kumar Jha                                                                                    

Professor (Speech Pathology & Audiology)

Department of Audiology & Speech Language Pathology

Faculty of Behavioural Sciences

SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana

Email: jhavivek98@yahoo.com

Mob: 9560276840

The post Impact of hearing loss on overall development in children appeared first on Health Vision.

As a author of this article, i am sharing my experience during corona kaaal in our country (period of corona during lockdown).It is really tough and troubling for all of us. Based on the problem faced by us , the corona kaal ican be broadly  divided  into three zones: Fear zone, Lession zone and Growth zone.

1. Fear Zone : During this type of thought process, some people believe on face book, message, wartsapp message, fake news and other social rumors. People should believe only on government’s notification, which is circulated by the Ministry of health and family welfare, Government of India. During this time we transmit our anger and fear related emotions to others and complain all the time. We hoard food, toilet paper and medicine and other house hold items that will create problems for other people and during this one may make unnecessary gathering and violate social distancing. In this time, people should only believe on the health bulletin which addressed by Indian council of medical research. Don’t be panic and don’t make other people to be panic during lockdown.

2. Lession Zone: This is a type of learning zone from where, some people should take lesion from others, who is having positive attitudes and make others happy and fearless. How social workers and other government and non government agencies are helping us during this tough time. For those (first line warriors),we should never forget their contribution with full hearted efforts. We should extend our sincere thanks and well wishes to all health workers and police, and social workers who are helping us day and night. We salute those people who have left their families in home and came on road for protecting us from covid-19. We should stop compulsively consuming things that harm us, from food to news. We should identify our emotions and acknowledge everyone who are trying their level best.

It has also been seen that some peoples in our society are not following any guidelines of government, going against the lockdown and harassing, attacking, abusing, and spiting on  police, doctors, nurses and social workers. They are throwing stones on them, making them injured; still our first line warriors are protecting them from covid-19. See the greatness of our warriors and their roles for our society.

 Health workers and police are also getting affected by corona virus and some of them have lost their life during battle against corona. It is amazing and unbelievable activity by them. Our  corona warriors are  saving  their lives and they are attacking and killing  them by different weapons. This is very shameful and pathetic condition for our country. (Ref. India TV, Zee TV, Republic Bharat, Times Now and many mores news and TV channels).Every responsible citizen of our country should condemn this type of  incidence, which are happening in different parts of our country now a days.

3. Development Zone: This type of thought process is very helpful for all of us for growth and development. As we use to say ourselves that we are not getting any time for personal growth, so we should think this time in a positive way, that god has given me plenty of time and oppourtunity for personal growth. During this period, we should spare time with our family, friends and do some productive work that will be helpful for us as well as for our organanization also. We can complete our pending research work, paper writing and other academic works also.

We can think of ways to help others and use our skills to serve the needy. We show empathy to ourselves and others and live in present and focus on the future and keep ourselves emotionally happy and transmit hope. We can find ways to change ourselves and practice on calmness, patience, relationship and creativity. During this tough time we should always keep in mind that we should survive in present and accept this situation and we should take care of others also.

Keep in touch with others but keep social distancing through digital communication technology. We should support to government agencies and donate to PM care funds per our capacity for this pandemic. Follow time to time instruction and  guideline circulated by government agencies .During this tough period we should unite together and do full support to the  government.  We pray for those who have lost their lives during this battle against covid-19.

Finally we can say that situation makes us strong and take this time as a opportunity not as a threat.

1.Stay safe and healthy at home.

2. Don’t go out side of home.

3. Don’t be panic.

4. Don’t store unnecessary food items at home.

5. Follow our Prime minister’s suggestion that don’t cross the Laxman Rekha (Ref. Ramayana).

6.Keep social distancing.

7. Wash your hand regularly

Dr.Vivek Kumar Jha                                            

Associate Professor (Speech and Hearing)

Department of Audiology and Speech, Language Pathology

SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana

Email: jhavivek98@yahoo.com

Mob.No.09560276840

The post Corona kaal(time) during lockdown appeared first on Health Vision.

What is hoarseness?

Hoarseness is an abnormal change in the voice caused by a variety of conditions. The voice may have changes in pitch and volume, ranging from a deep, harsh voice to a weak, raspy voice.

What causes hoarseness?
Hoarseness is generally caused by irritation of, or injury to, the vocal cords. The larynx (also referred to as the voice box), is the portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract containing the vocal cords. The cartilaginous outer wall of the larynx is commonly referred to as the “Adams apple.” The vocal cords are two bands of muscle that form a “V” inside the larynx. When we sing or speak, the vocal cords vibrate and produce sound.

Hoarseness can be caused by a number of conditions. The most common cause of hoarseness is acute laryngitis (inflammation of the vocal cords) caused most often by an upper respiratory tract infection (usually viral), and less commonly from overuse or misuse of the voice (such as from yelling or singing).

Other causes include:

• Benign vocal cord nodules, cysts or polyps,
• Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD),
• Allergies,
• Inhalation of respiratory tract irritants,
• Smoking,
• Thyroid problems,
• Trauma to the larynx/vocal cords,
• Neurological conditions (such as Parkinson’s disease and strokes), and
• Cancer of the larynx.

What are the signs and symptoms ?

Hoarseness typically gives the voice a raspy and harsh quality, though it may also cause a change in the pitch or volume of the voice. The rapidity of onset and any associated symptoms will depend on the underlying cause leading to hoarseness.

How are the causes diagnosed?

A health care professional will ask the patient questions about their hoarseness and any other associated symptoms. A physical exam will focus on the head and neck. Often times, a diagnosis can be made based on this initial assessment. In some instances, a long lighted flexible tube (fiberoptic scope) will be inserted into the throat to directly visualize the vocal cords if no other cause is initially identified. Individuals with hoarseness that lasts longer than 2 to 3 weeks should have a consultation with an otolaryngologist in order to exclude any serious causes of hoarseness.

What is the treatment ?

The treatment for hoarseness depends on the underlying cause, for example:
• Acute laryngitis caused by an upper respiratory tract infection will usually improve on its own as the infection clears the body. Conservative treatment with cough suppressants and humidified air can be helpful.
• Voice rest is also recommended in order to avoid further irritation or injury to the vocal cords.
• Antibiotics are not indicated for most cases of acute laryngitis.
• Smoking cessation is suggested for those individuals that smoke.
• Individuals with hoarseness caused by vocal overuse or misuse should adhere to voice rest, as serious injury (such as vocal cord hemorrhage can occur to the vocal cords if the voice is strenuously used during episodes of acute laryngitis.
• Medications for gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) or allergies can treat hoarseness if either of these is found to be the underlying cause.
• In some instances, surgery may be necessary for benign nodules or polyps, trauma to the larynx/vocal cords and for cancer of the larynx.

Other treatment options are;

• Voice-therapy
• Voice rest
• Vocal hygiene

How is hoarseness prevented?

Hoarseness can be prevented in some instances, for example:

• Avoid situations that require excessive strenuous voice use, and if a person needs to project their voice, use a microphone if possible.
• Voice therapists or singing teachers may be helpful in certain cases to assist individuals with vocal training and voice modification.
• Smoking cessation can prevent hoarseness or the development of cancer of the larynx.
• Individuals with hoarseness caused by gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) can benefit from medications and dietary modification (such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods)

Dr. Vivek Kumar Jha
Associate Professor (Speech and Hearing)
Faculty of Behavioural sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana
jhavivek98@yahoo.com Mob: 09560276840

The post Hoarseness : causes and remedies appeared first on Health Vision.