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When Rebecca Narrier received a call from Chevron Pilbara Ear Health Program staff to say that her daughter Rochelle (10) had failed her hearing screening test, she was in complete shock. While Rochelle’s brother had experienced ear troubles when he was younger, there had been no prior indications that Rochelle had any kind of hearing loss.
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No leaky ears. No failed hearing tests. No struggles with schoolwork.
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“Sure, I had to talk a little louder to get her attention, but I thought she was just being a normal kid and ignoring her mom,” explains Rebecca. “You know what children can be like – sometimes it feels like their ears are just painted on!”
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Rochelle was seen by the audiologist and diagnosed with a moderate hearing loss, caused by otitis media in both ears (fluid behind the ear drums). The Chevron Pilbara Ear Health program works in collaboration with Hearing Australia to support clients in the West Pilbara with the fitting of hearing devices via telehealth, reducing the waiting time and distances travelled.
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“They told me that Rochelle would be a good candidate for a bone conduction device,” said Rebecca. “So we decided to test one out. It was amazing. I was standing behind Rochelle and I whispered something quietly to the nurse – which Rochelle heard. I admit that made me quite emotional.”
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Rochelle’s beaming smile and her improved responses in the clinic and with testing confirmed her significantly improved hearing.
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“Her excitement was contagious,” explains TSH Community Outreach Lead, Ear Health Trude Hallaraker. “The impact of this is significant, not only on Rochelle’s learning at school but on all areas of her life.”
After waiting a couple of weeks for Rochelle’s own bone conduction device to arrive, she now wears it with pride.
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“I was afraid that she might feel self-conscious wearing it, but It’s just like wearing a headband and all of the other kids in her school support her,” explains Rebecca. “She’s learned how to adjust the volume too, because when she first went back to school everything was far too loud.
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“Her hearing is so much better and we are finding it so much easier to communicate at home and in public.”
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Rochelle has since seen the program ENT and will be reviewed early in the new year to see if surgery may help to treat the otitis media and restore her natural hearing. In the meantime, she is enjoying her stylish new headband, decorated with stickers – and not getting into trouble for not listening to her mother.
Hearing loss in the classroom
“With mild to moderate hearing loss, children are able to hear spoken language, but not all of the speech sounds,” explains TSH’s Community & Inclusion Lead Geoff Reader, who has spent over 40 years as a Teacher of the Deaf.
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“If, for example, it is a high frequency loss, they miss sounds like S, SH TH, and F, which are important sounds to hear, as they affect language markers such as plurals, pronouns, auxiliary verbs and ownership. All of these affect language development and lead to misunderstandings.
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“Also, when there’s background noise, (as there always is in a school environment), this will mask out spoken language. So it may look like the child is inattentive, disinterested, easily distracted, or not understanding or following instructions.
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“It can also undermine social interactions, such as not hearing rule changes in playground games, leading to frustration and friendship breakdowns.”