Deaf children's experiences of hearing in everyday life: a systematic review.
Ruth Nightingale, Alys Hollyer, Merle Mahon
PMID 40384522WHAT IT FOUND
Deaf children's hearing experiences vary widely and are shaped by noise, device use, and social context.
Listening fatigue and misperceptions about their abilities often limit participation in school and social activities. Ask each child directly what accommodations help them.
Key findings
01Four interacting themes describe deaf children's experiences: hearing sounds and speech, challenging listening environments, strategies and adaptations, and impact on participation.
02Background noise and classroom acoustics significantly hinder participation, causing distress, pain, and fatigue for many deaf children regardless of age or hearing device.
03Hearing experiences are highly individual; strategies that help one child may not help another, and children often avoid assistive devices due to social stigma or discomfort.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only English-language studies were included, which may omit relevant non-English perspectives. The quality of included studies was variable, with many not reporting on researcher influence or recruitment strategies. Most data focused on school settings, limiting understanding of hearing experiences in other contexts. The patient and public involvement group consisted of children from a specialist deaf school, which may not reflect the experiences of children in mainstream settings. Participant characteristics were inconsistently reported across studies, making it difficult to compare experiences across different subgroups.
Declared interests
One reviewer is hard-of-hearing and a speech and language therapist. The other two reviewers have professional backgrounds in research with deaf children, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy. No specific funding source or conflict of interest declaration is provided in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that hearing devices automatically improve all aspects of a child's hearing experience. The review found that devices can amplify background noise, causing pain and distress, and that children often remove them or avoid using assistive devices due to social stigma or discomfort.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →