A child with a hearing loss show phonological processes that are, in important and obvious ways, similar to those found in the speech of younger normal children. The general appearance of the processes themselves suggests that the hearing loss has merely delayed the child’s phonological development. In cases of more severe hearing loss, it may be more reasonable to attempt to relate particular phonological processes to particular aspects of the hearing loss.
Hearing loss is considered to be the most prevalent congenital abnormality in newborns and is more than twice as prevalent as other conditions that are screened for at birth, such as sickle cell disease, hypothyroidism, phenynilketonuria, and galactosaemia (Finitzo and Crumley, 1999). It refers to a condition in which a child is unable to detect or distinguish the range of sounds normally available to the human ear (Justice, 2006). It is one of the most common sensory disorders and is the consequence of sensorineural and/or conductive malfunctions of the ear. |
