Speech incomprehension and hearing loss: Understanding the correlation

The ability to receive sound, understand its meaning, and store information can cumulatively support speech comprehension. This establishes the importance of hearing in supporting speech development and communication. On account of this, people with hearing loss face a lot of difficulty in attaining speech clarity and articulation of language.

Speech incomprehension can significantly impair a child’s ability to understand speech and compromise their academic progress, mental wellness, and social behaviour. They might find it difficult to understand words that have multiple meanings; for example, the word ‘bat’ refers to an animal but at the same time also refers to a piece of wood that people use to play cricket. Additionally, they are often unable to hear quiet speech sounds like “sh,” “f,” etc. Similarly, in adults, speech incomprehension makes it difficult for them to communicate and understand speech, resulting in problems of articulation due to the difficulty faced by the brain to register the sound vibrations.

Looking at the communication challenges arising from hearing loss, early detection of any form of hearing impairment should be encouraged. One should understand that hearing loss could occur due to various factors such as chronic ear infections, exposure to loud noise, trauma to the ear, etc. Moreover, it is always advisable for people to take precautions and do regular checkups with an ENT specialist, who comes with the ability to provide a comprehensive hearing care solution for optimal hearing.

Early detection of speech impairment symptoms is essential for people to take medical guidance from a professional. It would be challenging to cure if a person is delaying or not taking corrective measures during the symptom. When people make use of distorted sounds or use gestures to communicate instead of words, these can be indications of difficulty in communication. Likewise, when they find it difficult to follow directions, turn the volume of devices too loud for hearing, etc., they also point towards speech impairment in a person.

Understanding the intensity of the situation, various treatments are available to restore speech impairment caused by the loss of hearing. One solution is hearing aids; they are useful if the loss of hearing is due to damage to the inner ear. These small electronic devices, generally worn in or behind the ear, amplify the sound for easy speech comprehension and hearing. On the other hand, cochlear implants come into use in cases where hearing aids are not effective and people are experiencing severe hearing loss due to damage in the inner ear. They come with the ability to transfer sound and transcend the damaged part directly to the hearing nerve, called the cochlear nerve.

Having understood the various aspects of speech comprehension and hearing loss, it is advisable to visit an ENT specialist upon experiencing any of the symptoms stated above for timely identification of the problem and proper treatment of the condition.

(This article is authored by Dr Vivek Kumar Pathak, Senior ENT Specialist, HearClear)