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worldwide
Deaf Awareness
Fact Sheet
360 million people worldwide have
disabling hearing loss.
Over 32 million of these are children.
No deaf child is the same
Different levels of hearing loss
Deafness and hearing problems are different
for each individual and no deaf child is the
same. The way deafness affects a child depends
on a range of different factors, including the
following:
• what type of hearing loss they have
• what caused their hearing loss
• how old they were when they were diagnosed
with a hearing loss
• the level of hearing loss they have
• whether the hearing loss is in one or both ears
• the way they prefer to communicate
• the level of communication skills they have.
There are different levels of hearing loss.
In medical terms, these are: mild deafness,
moderate deafness, severe deafness or
profound deafness.
• It is rare for a child not to hear anything at all
• Deafness can affect the loudness and clarity of sounds, noises or speech
• Even if voices are amplified (made louder), a
deaf child may have difficulty understanding
them.
How we hear
Sound is an invisible vibration. It travels in waves, spreading
outwards from the source (whatever caused it). Sounds have
different loudness and different frequencies (or pitches).
The ear is made up of three main parts: the
outer ear (the part you can see), the middle ear
and the inner ear.
The ear is part of the hearing system which
allows us to turn sound waves into signals our
brains can understand as sounds, noises or
speech. There are different parts to the hearing
system and all of them must be working to allow
us to hear.
Types of hearing loss
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Understanding your
Child’s Hearing Tests
Causes of hearing loss
There are various different causes of childhood
deafness. Some of them can happen before
birth and some of them can happen when
children are babies, infants or growing up. It
is not always possible to identify the cause of
deafness.
Causes before birth
(pre-natal causes)
Genetic factors can also cause hearing loss
in children. Deafness can be passed down in
families even if there appears to be no family
history of deafness. 90% of deaf children are
born to hearing parents and typically have
no previous experience of deafness in their
families. Sometimes deaf children may have
additional disabilities or health problems when
they are born.
Deafness can also be caused by illness or
complications during pregnancy. Certain
medicines (known as ototoxic drugs) that are
sometimes given to women during pregnancy
can damage the hearing system of a baby before
they are born.
Causes after birth
(post-natal causes)
Premature babies are at an increased risk
of becoming deaf. They are often at risk of
infections that can cause deafness. They may
also be born with severe jaundice or experience
a lack of oxygen at some point. Both of these
can cause deafness.
There are a range of causes of deafness in
early childhood, 50% of which are preventable
according to the World Health Organisation.
Diseases such as meningitis, rubella, measles
and mumps can cause deafness. Ototoxic drugs,
used to treat other types of infections, can also
damage children’s ears and cause deafness.
Occasionally, an injury to the head or exposure
to loud noise can damage a child’s hearing
system and cause deafness.
Signs of Deafness
It’s important to spot hearing loss as soon as possible as the
sooner a child is identified; the sooner they can be supported to
develop language and communication skills.
Some signs that could indicate your baby is deaf
include:
In addition to the above, other signs that could
indicate a child is deaf include:
• They do not respond to sounds,
music or voices
• They strain to hear
• They appear very watchful
• They do not react to loud sounds in response
to a loud sound
• They misunderstand things you say
• They withdraw from social situations
• They ask you to repeat things
• They tell you they are deaf
• The use of sign language.
Poverty and deafness
The majority of the world’s deaf children (around
80%) live in developing countries.
There is a clear link between poverty and
deafness. Some of the factors that link poverty
and deafness include:
• poor sanitation (unclean water can result in poor ear health)
• limited access to health services
(especially in isolated rural communities)
• poor quality health services
• limited access to medical treatment
(for children in developing countries, longterm ear infections are the leading cause of
hearing loss)
• low rates of vaccination against rubella, measles and mumps (illnesses that can cause deafness)
• high rates of meningitis (an illness that can cause deafness)
• the use of ototoxic drugs to treat malaria, tuberculosis, and severe infections
• local remedies (which can often cause damage to the ear)
• late or no diagnosis (early detection
of deafness is vital for deaf children to
develop the language and communication
skills needed for life)
• lack of appropriate support upon diagnosis
• limited access to hearing aids and other
technology.
With the right support and early diagnosis, deaf
children and young people can access equal
opportunities and communicate effectively
alongside their hearing peers.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) categorises the impact
of deafness into three types: functional, social and emotional,
and economic.
Functional
One of the main impacts of hearing loss is
on the individual’s ability to communicate
with others. Spoken language development
is often delayed in children with deafness. In
many cases, access to learning sign language
is important both for the deaf child and their
family to allow them to communicate effectively
at home and with peers. There are a number
of ways deaf children can be supported to
communicate so that they can achieve alongside
their hearing peers (more information provided
below).
Social and emotional
Deaf children do not access services as readily
as hearing peers and can often feel excluded
in communities causing feelings of loneliness,
isolation and frustration. Deafness is an
invisible disability making it challenging for
many people to understand or accept it. Deaf
children are often hidden away, excluded from
family and community life, and prevented from
going to school. In some communities deafness
is seen a curse. Deaf children have the same
rights as other children. Through challenging
social attitudes and raising awareness of
deafness and how deaf people can and do
achieve, we can reduce isolation and exclusion.
Economic
In developing countries, many deaf children do
not go to school or if they do, they struggle to
learn because poor quality education systems
can’t support their needs. Without an education,
it can be difficult to break free from a cycle of
poverty. Raising awareness of the needs of deaf
people, improving access to and the quality
of education, as well as providing vocational
rehabilitation services, would see an increase in
the numbers of deaf children who are educated
and are able to enter into employment.
Communication
There are a variety of communication methods
available to deaf children and their families
including different types of hearing aids and
other hearing technologies. Availability and
costs are barriers preventing many deaf children
from accessing these technologies though there
are a number of other options that deaf children
can use to communicate.
The way deaf children communicate can differ
for each individual child. Deaf children may use
one method or a combination of methods to
communicate. Some of the options include:
• national (official) sign language
• local or community developed sign language
• speech and language
• lip-reading
• finger-spelling
• gestures and facial expressions
• total communication.
It is a myth that all deaf
people can lip-read well.
Lip-reading is a difficult skill
to learn. Only around 30%
of sounds are visible on the
.
lips when someone is speaking
Lip-reading involves a lot of
concentration and can leave
deaf children feeling tired.
Sign language is a visual language using
gestures, hand movements and facial
expressions to communicate. It is more common
where hearing aids and other technology are not
available. Most deaf children who need hearing
aids in developing countries do not have them.
Each sign language has its own grammar,
rules and dictionary. It is not one international
language – each country has their own national
sign language and there can even be regional
variations within countries.
Tips for communicating
with deaf children
• Get the child’s attention
before you start talking to
them.
• Make it clear what the topic
of conversation is – and let
the child know when it has
changed.
• Make sure you face the child
and keep eye contact as much
as possible.
• Do not stand with your back
to a window – this can create
a shadow on your face and
make lip-reading difficult.
Stand with your face to the
light.
• Ask the child how they prefer
to communicate.
• Do not cover your mouth.
•K
eep background noise down
(turn off the TV or radio).
•S
peak clearly and do not
shout. Use an expressive face.
•U
se visual clues where
possible.
•U
se your normal rhythm of
speech (it is not helpful to
mouth words slowly).
• I t is important to speak one at
a time in group conversations,
as they can be difficult for
deaf children.
• Try to keep a deaf child
involved and avoid all
speaking at once.
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Deaf Child Worldwide is the
international arm of the National
Deaf Children’s Society (registered
charity in England and Wales
no.1016532 and in Scotland no.
SC040779).
For more information visit
www.deafchildworldwide.info
or contact
[email protected]
Deaf Child Worldwide
The National Deaf Children’s Society,
Ground Floor South, Castle House,
37–45 Paul Street,
London EC2A 4LS
Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 8656 (v/t)
Fax: +44 (0)20 7251 5020
Email: [email protected]
JR0728
www.deafchildworldwide.org
The National Deaf Children’s Society is a registered charity in
England and Wales no. 1016532 and in Scotland SC040779.
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