Early identification of, and intervention with, children with hearing impairments

Starkey boss Bill Austin talks to Prof Norma Nel

At the beginning of March 2013, Starkey and their South African partner Medifix visited Groblersdal to fit and distribute hearing aids. On a previous visit Medifix tested many people to identify hearing-impaired people who could benefit from a hearing aid. During that visit the group from Unisa involved with training facilitators for the Deaf attended the occasion to learn about screening and testing procedures in unsophisticated rural areas.

This group has been involved with Medifix and Starkey to improve the course material of our teachers-in-training. Starkey fits hearing aids on people from all over the world and Starkey appreciates having partners, such as Unisa, to see to it that a child who is given a hearing aid receives good support from his/her teachers and parents. Then the use of and support offered by the hearing aid is far more successfully integrated into this person’s life.

Baby Marisane, a teacher at Mapula Primary School accompanied Tumi Marule, Maphefo and Tebogo Mokgabudi to have their hearing aids fitted for free by the Starkey Foundation

It is a big adjustment for a person to get used to living with a hearing aid. Not only do people with hearing aids hear more with the aid of a hearing aid but it also feels and looks different when they have a hearing aid in their ears. Other people may tease them about it and they must attune themselves to new sounds as it is not only human voices that are amplified. And so they need to adapt to life with a hearing aid. Teachers also find that these children start to behave differently and have to be assisted so that they continue to behave in an acceptable manner in their class.

Tami Austin from the Starkey Foundation shows Tumi Marule his new hearing aid

Perceptual skills that should have been acquired earlier, but because of hearing problems were delayed, must be identified by the teacher and opportunities to catch up with missed opportunities should be created. Parents should also encourage learners to keep the aids clean and free of wax, and to replace the batteries when this becomes necessary.

The team has also been conducting a pilot study, under the leadership of Prof Nel, on how best to train teachers to use the whisper test for early detection of a lack of hearing in small children. The sooner a hearing impairment is detected the more effectively a child can be helped and referred for medical assistance. The screening test has proved to be very effective as a simple yet reliable tool for teachers and parents in rural areas to screen learners from a very early age. In this way intervention can start at an early stage and children with a hearing impairment can have a better chance to become the best they can be and grow into happy and fulfilled people.

Tumi’s hearing aid is placed first as he is the eldest one of the group of children	Tumi is shown how it is done so that he can give support to the younger girls who came for a fitment
Tumi’s turn to do the task so he can still receive assistance if he needs it from the expert	Tebogo and Tami chat before the fitment of her hearing aid starts
Volume control explainations	Teacher Baby Madisane and her students together with Tami Austin after their fitment is completed
Receiving a year’s worth of batteries for each of the learners	Explainations on how to look after the hearing aid correctly
The Unisa team together with the Starkey Foundation staff and one of the children who has been fitted with a hearing aid	The Groblersdal open air auditorium where the hearing aid fitments were done
An assortment of hearing aids to help the crowd of people who came for a fitment	Last check if the fitments are done correctly and that the hearing aids have been placed correctly