A DEAF CHILD IN HEARING FAMILY
2019-10-16
It does happen that a baby with impaired hearing is born in a healthy family where everyone can hear well an the problem of hearing loss has not occurred in the past. Often a family does not want to acknowledge facts about their child's health, deny the diagnosis and look for a confirmation that there must have been a mistake made somewhere. Time passes and our child still does not turn its head towards sources of sound. It is not disturbed by loud music during sleep, television or our conversations over the cot. We slowly start to understand the seriousness of the situation. There is no time for regrets and grievances. Certain actions need to be taken. To start with, it is worth going to a specialist audiological center to perform thorough ABR hearing tests. This test records brainstem auditory evoked potentials. They indicate the hearing threshold at which the brain reacts to sound. During the test, a patient puts on special headphones and the brain activity is recorded using electrodes placed on the head that are connected to the computer. Based on them, the level of hearing loss is determined, which then allows for appropriate actions to be taken. If the hearing loss is minor, the child must use hearing aids. However, if the loss if significant, the devices may not be enough and a cochlear implant surgery will be necessary. It's worth pointing out that this surgery is reimbursed by the National Health Fund.
At the beginning of this 'journey', a lot of things can be vague, not obvious, surprising or unpleasant for parents. However, the word 'deafness' does not necessarily mean the end of the world. After the child has been diagnosed, life goes on. This is not something we can alter and we will not change the situation by experiencing extreme moods. Although this sounds trivial, you must accept this situation and learn to live with it. This is one of the most important and basic issues. When parents and relatives accept the child's deafness. If we have a problem with it, how is our child supposed to accept it? There is really no need to give it additional obstacles to overcome. The child gets a pretty big baggage to carry through life anyway. The parent's role is to help carry this baggage. After emotions have been contained, we can let the whole family know the situation. Everyone should know what our child's hearing loss is and what it involves. The acceptance of a deaf child by its family and loved ones will give it a foundation for proper development. It will be the first step that allows the child to confidently enter the life. The sense of acceptance and safety, surrounding the child with care and love is crucial in the entire process of development and rehabilitation. By accepting our child, carrying out systematic rehabilitation and believing in its effects, we will give it the best start for its future life. Although this is a new and unknown situation for us, it is really possible to live with it with a little desire and determination. In the era of today's medicine, many achievements that were impossible in the past no longer pose a problem today. Of course, there are exceptions to every situation and no one can say the process will look exactly the same for everyone.
