ARE YOU LISTENING?! by Teri Allen, OTR If you have experienced asking your child to do a task while he is intently watching a TV show you may understand the difference between hearing and listening! Hearing is a passive process. Sound waves or vibrations in the air strike the ear drum and are mechanically transmitted through the ear. But, just because the ear is working correctly and your child's hearing is perfect, does not mean he is listening. Listening, is a very active and complex process. It requires the nervous system to sort out and organize the information received from the ears. An important component of "sorting out" is the nervous system's ability to filter out the irrelevant noise and pay attention to what is important. If your child cannot do this he will have difficulty listening and concentrating. He is likely to be distracted by footsteps in the hall way or the rustle of papers rather than attending to the teacher's directions. Efficient listening also requires integration of hearing with all of the other senses. For example, when your child hears a noise, he will turn and use vision to increase his understanding of the noise. As his senses compare what they are experiencing, the accuracy of his "listening" increases. Your child's nervous system even compares differences in what each ear hears. Sound waves bounce off of solid surfaces around him and each ear receives the sound waves at a slightly different time and intensity. This comparison allows localization of sound and an understanding of the space around him. Thus, listening contributes to an understanding of space and time outside of his body. Information received by the ears allows your child to hear sounds and to develop a reference point for how his body is moving. The vestibule of the ear detects movement of the head in space. It is referred to as the vestibular system and is considered the organizer of your child's body senses. It is considered the "internal ear", allowing your child to understand time and space from his body's perspective. It has a strong impact on muscle tone, posture, balance, coordination, integration of the two body sides, visual-spatial skills, emotional responses and motor planning. Your child's ears may be perfectly normal and healthy, but if he has poor listening skills you will see some of the problems listed below: ____poor attention ____distractibility ____is overly active or lethargic ____over sensitivity to sound ____misinterpretation of questions ____frequently says "what" or needs repetition ____over use of stereotyped expressions ____poor social skills ____poor timing when answering questions or conversing ____trouble following multi step or sequential directions ____flat or monotone voice ____hesitant speech ____weak vocabulary ____poor sentence structure ____cannot carry a tune ____reversals when reading or writing ____poor reading comprehension ____difficulty with spelling ____poor posture ____clumsy or uncoordinated ____poor sense of rhythm ____poor sense of time ____confusion of right and left ____lack of established hand dominance (Adapted from a list composed by Paul Madaule, L.P. and Valerie Dejean, O.T., "The Listening Function") If you have concerns about your child's listening skills, you should ask for your child to have a comprehensive hearing exam. It is always essential to rule out a hearing loss. If hearing is normal, investigate the current technologies in treating "listening" deficits. Our web site will link you to several web sites offering current information on treatment of listening deficits. |
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