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Unit 5: Identification, Causes, Problems of Physically Challenged

(c) Infectious Disease (d) Drugs and Notes
(e) Malnutrition.
(a) Hereditary: 11 to 60 percent of sensory neural hearing impairments have a genetic cause
(dominant gene-Alpert's syndrome) and recessive gene transmission-(Usher's syndrome)
to the tune of 40% of deafness cases.
(b) Rubella: Maternal rubella, a German measles virus that has its most devastating effect
on an unborn child during first three months of pregnancy is most important cause, It
accounts for 27% of all the known cause of hearing loss.
(c) Infectious Disease: Early infectious diseases like mumps, influenza of the mother affects
the infant's hearing. Certain other diseases of the mother e.g., diabetes, kidney disease
liver diseases affect the baby's hearing capacity.
(d) Drugs: Some researches have shown that overdose of strong drugs like streptomycin,
quinine, thalichloride and L.S.D. are associated with hearing impairment and therefore
expectant mothers should remain away from these.
(e) Malnutrition: Malnutrition is another such cause. In addition RH-incompatibility,
emotional trauma, brain fever, brain tumor and certain neurological factors do their part
in affecting hearing capacity of the infant adversely.
2. Causes During Birth of Hearing Impaired: During birth there are certain factors which affect
hearing loss. Lack of oxygen use of forceps in delivery, instrumental delivery, premature delivery
followed immediately by jaundice, use of anaesthetic agents in delivery do cause hearing
problems.
3. Causes After birth of Hearing Impaired: The causes which affect hearing loss after birth in
children are measles, mumps, whooping cough, menigitis, typhoid fever, encephalitis, infections
in nasal cavities, Eustachian tube, middle ear infection, ear discharge etc. All these lead to hearing
loss. Ear discharge is more prominent among the causes.
Adequate awareness on the part of parents can prevent the hearing handicap, Early follow-up
services for checking expectant mother's health and health of the new born can prevent hearing
impairment and associated problems.
4. Causes of Hearing Impaired: Hearing loss may not necessarily be due to organic factors but to
psychological and psychiatric reasons. There has been differential focus. The psychological
and psychiatric reasons. There has been differential focus. The otologist looks for medical and
surgical intervention, and audiologist suggests amplification and therapeutic management but
for an educator or resource teacher emphasis on language development is crucial remedial
step.
5. Neurological of Hearing Impaired: Besides organic causes which are responsible for hearing
loss. The sensorineural hearing loss is associated with actual neurological transmission of sound.
Such hearing loss results from damage to the sensory walls within cochlea or the auditory
nerve both because fo genetic and/or environmental factors.

Overdose of strong drugs like streptomycin, quinine and L.S.D. are associated with hearing
impairment. So mothers are restricted to take these drugs to avoid baby from hearing
impairment.

5.2.3 Problems of Hearing Impaired Children
Hearing impairments can be viewed from an educational perspective but also from the large
perspective of their effects on the child's overall adjustment. The problems and special needs of
hearing impaired children have been summarized in a tabular form.

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