Having problems engaging your teenager with hearing loss? You are not alone. Many hearing professionals who work with this age group report that it can be hard to find a ‘way in’ with this age group.
What do these young people say some of their difficulties are? It may be that they can’t always hear the instructions that the classroom teacher or coach says. They may not be aware they have not heard everything yet are reluctant to wear their wireless device (eg Roger). As they are in a period of self exploration and self identity they may not want anyone to know they have hearing loss. As with most teenagers they don’t want to stand out and don’t want to be left out and are particularly susceptible to isolation. They are also often exhausted from the effort of trying to learn in the noise in the classroom and all the other noisy places in their lives.
Even if they are hard to engage with, they need you! Because we know that they are at risk of their social skills being delayed and unlike their hearing peers they cannot catch up by “listening osmosis“/ overhearing. They are often the ‘in-betweeners’, caught between the hearing and the hearing loss world while at the same time being unaware of practical implications of being deaf/hearing loss.
Other issues young people are dealing with when they have hearing loss
- Identity
- Conforming
- Working to their strengths
- Feeling left out
- Feeling ignored
- Feeling different
What can you do to offer support :
- Set goals with them and ask them what’s important to them
- Help them improve resilience
- Help them understand the link between stronger resilience and self esteem
- Understand the issues for them, and if you are not sure, ask!
- Observe, communicate and strategise with the young person or their parents
Remember:
They are a person first not a deaf student and be mindful of how can deafness present differently (not one size/identity fits all). You can help them see ways to do things on their terms and help them be aware of what are necessary life skills that you can support them in learning.
