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A hearing impairment means that a person cannot hear as well as someone with normal hearing (hearing thresholds of 20 dB or better in both ears). Hearing loss may be mild, moderate, severe or profound. It can affect one or both ears and be temporary or permanent.

Hearing losses can also affect pitches of sound differently, for example, a child may be able to hear some sounds better than others.

Most children with permanent hearing loss are identified shortly after birth through the NHS newborn hearing screening test and then through monitoring during regular health and development reviews and routine hearing tests.

A child or young person may:

• Show no reaction to sounds
• Mishear words or instructions
• Have difficulty in understanding peers in group discussions or in noisier environments
• Have delayed language development
• May struggle to concentrate

Take a look at the Newborn hearing screening: making and reacting to sounds checklists.

Temporary hearing loss

Glue ear is very common with nursery aged children. It is caused by a build-up of fluid in the middle ear cavity which affects the ability of the ear to conduct sounds to the inner ear. For some children and young people who have persistent glue ear, health services may suggest grommets or temporary hearing aids.

Unilateral deafness (hearing loss in one ear)

Unilateral deafness means that your child has a hearing loss in one ear – it’s sometimes called one-sided hearing loss or single-sided deafness (SSD). The deafness can range from mild to profound in the affected ear.

Permanent hearing loss

Most people (including babies and children) who are identified with permanent hearing losses will be offered hearing aids to help them to hear sound. Using hearing aids as soon as possible gives children and young people with permanent hearing loss the best chance of developing good speech and language skills.

Find out more about childhood deafness.

Some children and young people will manage their hearing loss without the need for specialist attention and support. They will simply require reasonable adjustments made by thoughtful and supportive key adults.

This might include:

• Talking to you and your child to understand their hearing loss and how it affects their understanding and social opportunities
• Consideration of seating arrangements
• Management of the environmental noise and acoustics
• Offering a quiet working environment, particularly for specific listening work

Children and young people who have severe to profound hearing loss may need more tailored support. For example:

For children and young people with severe to profound hearing loss, they may need more tailored support. For example:

• Assistive listening devices, such as radio aids
• Visual resources
• The use of British Sign Language (BSL)
• Access to specialist teachers
• Intensive hearing or language support

Some children and young people may need a personalised SEN plan or Education, Health and Care Plan to support their learning.

Doncaster Royal Infirmary Children’s Audiology

• Phone: 01302 642763 (call and leave a voicemail with your child's name, DOB and what you need)
• Text: 07542 028058 (do NOT call this number, they have no facility to answer or listen to voicemails)
• Email: dbth.childrens.audiology@nhs.net

The Children's Audiology service offers a wide range of therapies and treatments, including:

• Hearing therapy
• Tinnitus counselling
• Balance rehabilitation
• Relaxation training
• Training aspects of hearing impairment and communication
• Hearing aid repair clinics
• Hearing aid fitting service
• Newborn infant hearing loss screening.

Find out more about Hearing Services in Doncaster.

Sheffield Children’s Audiology

Sheffield Children’s Audiology are able offer some limited telephone appointments and provide some postal service. You can contact them via email if you feel it is urgent: sch.audiologyreferrals@nhs.net.

The Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment supports children, young people and their families across the age ranges from birth to 25 years. Referrals are taken from NHS Audiology and the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme.

Visual impairments can affect one or both eyes and can affect children and young people very differently. Visual difficulties can range from relatively minor problems to having significant or total loss of sight.

Visual impairments may be diagnosed in babies or young children through the routine NHS vision screening programme. The aim of the programme is to detect problems so that treatment can be started as early as possible.

All children and young people should have regular eye tests to ensure their eyes are working correctly and to detect and manage any problems as soon as they arise. If you are worried that there may be a problem with your child's vision, you can arrange for a free NHS eye test at your local opticians. Children do not need to know how to read to have an eye test. You can also speak to your child's health visitor or school nurse.

All children under the age of 16, or 19 if full time education, are entitled to a free NHS sight test carried out by an optometrist at a community opticians and vouchers are available assist with the purchase glasses if needed. Find out more about eye tests for children.

Signs of a possible eye or vision problem can include:

• Headaches or eye strain
• Problems reading, for example, they may need to hold books close to their face and they may lose their place regularly
• Problems with hand-eye co-ordination, for example, they may struggle to play ball games
• Being unusually clumsy
• Regularly rubbing their eyes
• Sitting too close to the television

Some children and young people will manage their visual impairment without the need for specialist attention and support. They will simply require reasonable adjustments made by thoughtful and supportive by key adults and educational setting staff.

This might include:

• Keeping environments free from clutter
• Adjusting the size of fonts and labels
• Considering seating plans to ensure that they have a clear view

Other children and young people with more significant visual impairment may need:

• The use of alternative methods of reading and writing
• Use of appropriate ICT
• Improved access to activities
• More time to complete tasks

Some children and young people may need a personalised SEN plan or Education, Health and Care Plan to support their learning.

Ophthalmologists are specialist doctors based at the hospital. Their qualifications and experience make them experts in diagnosing and treating eye conditions. They often refer patients on to optometrists and orthoptists for low vision support and in some cases, they may also recommend a particular medication plan or surgery to help resolve any presenting issues.

The optometrist or ophthalmic optician specialises in measuring your child’s sight and may prescribe glasses. They can identify eye diseases and are based in a hospital or local opticians. The dispensing optician will help you choose frames and make sure they fit properly but cannot test your child's sight or prescribe glasses. It is important that if your child needs glasses, they are encouraged to wear them.

Your child may be supported by a Qualified Teacher of Children and Young People with a Visual Impairment (QTVI). A QTVI has additional qualifications in and experience of working with children with a visual impairment. They are part of Doncaster's Service for Children with a Visual Impairment (SCVI) team and work with children in many different schools in the area.

A person who has a multi-sensory impairment has both visual and hearing impairments. The impairments may be identified at different times, or a child may be born with a multi-sensory impairment.

A child or young person with a sensory impairment of this nature with usually require support with:

• Communication
• Mobility
• Learning

Multi-sensory impairments will be diagnosed in the same way as individual hearing or vision impairments, as outlined above.

• Multi-sensory impaired children in hospital - Sense
• Information about multi-sensory impairments
• A parents’ guide to oral health and dental care for children with a learning disability, autism or both | SeeAbility