Five out of every thousand children are born with some type of hearing loss. They can be mild, moderate or severe. But in all cases early detection is a key factor to avoid communication and associated development problems. Furthermore, the inclusion of supports that facilitate the accessibility and monitoring of classes at school from the first moment is presented as the other key element to achieve not only a full education, but also a complete socialization.
The Spanish Confederation of Families of Deaf People (FIAPAS)coinciding with the celebration of the International Day of the Deaf held on September 26, already made public a manifesto in which it highlighted the importance of “invest in Health, Education and Accessibility to improve the quality of life and the effective inclusion in the educational system of children and young people with hearing problems“.
Different studies also confirm this need to promote inclusive policies in classrooms. For example, according to a study by the Edinburgh Universitychildren who suffer from mild and moderate hearing loss do not receive all the support they need at school, causing a negative impact on their academic results.
Experts insist that, apart from promoting accessibility policies in educational centers, early attention is key in this sense. Thus, according to a study carried out in Australia, the adjustment of earphones at six months or cochlear implantation at 12 months are beneficial for the baby’s development. These conclusions are drawn from following 450 children with hearing loss from birth to schooling, evaluating and comparing the results of their long-term acquisition of speech, language, and their psychosocial and educational development.
UMusic, through UMusic Junior, offers comprehensive and continuous advice to children with hearing problems and their families. In this sense, the company has numerous Comprehensive Hearing Institutes (IAI), special centers in which specially trained professionals offer personalized care to child patients based on the experience of thousands of cases. There are centers of this type in all the autonomous communities of Spain.
