ABSTRACT
Differing levels of hearing loss will have an impact on a child’s learning and behaviour and affect their interactions with, and responsiveness to, their environment. Frequent illness may weaken their ability to interact well with others. Glue ear may cause tiredness, pain, withdrawal, lethargy, making a child easily distracted, and clingy. In the young child, it is likely that warmth and comfort will be sought and they will be less happy at being away from home than would be hoped. Parents and teachers must be aware of this and ensure that the child is comforted (and possibly medicated) when in pain and is given tasks that will help develop spoken language. Children suffering differing levels of hearing loss will not be able to pick up language from the environment around them at certain times – often up to eight weeks at a time after a common cold. As a result, they may well fall behind in their early development. Adults should help compensate for this.
