{"id":8868,"date":"2021-05-23T16:21:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T20:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/?p=8868"},"modified":"2021-07-23T16:23:13","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T20:23:13","slug":"the-connection-between-hearing-loss-speech-comprehension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehearinginstitute.org\/the-connection-between-hearing-loss-speech-comprehension\/","title":{"rendered":"The Connection Between Hearing Loss & Speech Comprehension"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Speech comprehension refers to the ability to take in speech signals, understand the meaning behind them and store them as information. Speech comprehension is an especially important skill for children, as their brains are rapidly developing and learning new information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below we review how hearing loss can affect speech comprehension, the importance of early intervention and the signs of hearing loss to look out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Connection Between Hearing Loss & Speech Comprehension<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Hearing loss makes it difficult to distinguish between certain sounds and words, making speech comprehension difficult or, in some cases, impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many cases, it is easier for a child with hearing loss to understand concrete words, like dog, walk <\/em>and blue <\/em>than more abstract words like after, from <\/em>and about. <\/em>Children with hearing loss also tend to have difficulty with homonyms, like \u201craise your left <\/em>hand\u201d and \u201cdad left<\/em> for the store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, hearing loss makes it difficult to distinguish between consonant sounds like s, sh, f, t<\/em> and k. <\/em>For example, a child may use \u201ccat\u201d as a plural instead of \u201ccats\u201d because they can\u2019t detect the s <\/em>sound.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Importance of Early Intervention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Left untreated, hearing loss in children can lead to speech delays. Later, this can cause problems in school. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) reports that children with hearing loss can fall behind their peers anywhere from one to four grade levels<\/u><\/a>. In addition, those with severe hearing loss who don\u2019t receive treatment often don\u2019t progress beyond third-grade level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, children who receive hearing aids or cochlear implants tend to perform just as well as their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look Out for the Signs of Hearing Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to the CDC, one to three of every 1,000 babies is born with hearing loss<\/u><\/a>. While the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program ensures all babies born in a U.S. hospital receive a hearing screening, symptoms sometimes show up later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs of hearing loss in babies up to 1 year old include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n