An unusual phenomenon in the world of hearing and those with hearing loss, unilateral hearing loss or deafness is often the result of disease or trauma to one side of the head or even an infection of the bones or the ear. on one side of the head. head. The example that so easily comes to mind is that of George Bailey, in the classic Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life. George loses his hearing in his left ear as a child because he caught an infection with a high fever after pulling his little brother out of a crack in the ice. The ear does not function at all due to trauma from the freezing water, outside air, and infection. During the period in which this film takes place, penicillin did not yet exist, so his hearing was lost forever. That is, until Clarence, his guardian angel, momentarily restores him.
An estimated 391,000 children in the US have hearing loss or single-sided deafness. This continues into adulthood, but depending on the severity of the loss, BTE or behind-the-ear hearing aids may help. No guardian angel is going to restore hearing to these children, but hearing aids will. If the problem is with the cochlea, hearing aids won’t help and only a cochlear implant will help. For the rest, a series of hearing aids made to help people with mild to severe hearing loss. If the child is quite deaf, usually due to nerve damage or nerve cell death, there is currently no hearing aid or BTE implant that can help. But don’t lose hope; science and technology in this department are advancing rapidly.
Of course, the other side of this coin is recognizing that the child has the rare opportunity to be part of two different cultures. The deaf culture is definitely a culture of its own, and those who are deaf defend it proudly. Because the child with only one hearing ear is also part of the hearing world, he/she can come and go making friends in both worlds. As long as the child is able to speak and receives proper hearing therapy with her monaural hearing, she can be successful in either culture.
It is difficult, as a parent, to make decisions for your child with hearing loss/single-sided deafness. The decisions you make about a BTE, a cochlear implant, or no assistive listening device at all might not be the ones the child would make later in life. It’s always best to choose the least extreme option until your child can decide for himself.