A complete or partial decrease in the ability to perceive sounds is characterized as hearing loss, hearing loss, or deafness. Hearing loss is not due to a single cause, on the contrary, it may develop due to many biological and environmental factors. Children with hearing loss may show some differences in the developmental process depending on the nature of their hearing impairment. This does not mean that they are completely different from their hearing peers. In the first months after birth, children with hearing loss show a similar development to their peers with normal hearing. However, as the age progresses, limitations are observed in the development of the language area. Language development is one of the most significantly affected developmental areas in children with hearing loss. Language acquisition in the hearing child consists of interdependent stages. According to this; The language acquisition of the child, who cannot hear the sounds and perceive the verbal stimuli, cannot be fully realized. Initially, the sounds they produce tend to decrease over time, imitations disappear, and their sound production differs both qualitatively and quantitatively. Children with hearing loss are deprived of auditory perception of speech and speech rhythm. Auditory perception deprivation has different consequences depending on the degree of hearing loss of the child.
It is of great importance to recognize and diagnose hearing loss in the early period because it negatively affects the speech and language development of the individual. Language development of the person with hearing loss; The diagnosis of hearing loss differs according to the age of wearing the device and the age of starting education. Children and adults with congenital or acquired severe or severe hearing loss can be fitted with a cochlear implant if they meet the criteria.
Children and adults with mild, moderate, moderate-to-severe hearing loss cannot produce speech because they cannot hear daily speech sounds in the 15-65 dB range. In these children and adults, speech intelligibility decreases, articulation and communicative problems are observed. These children and individuals must be equipped with hearing aids specially adjusted for them; After the device, he needs to receive speech and language therapy for language, speech and communicative disorders.