Preventing Noise Induced Hearing Loss in Children - Essay Example

What is worse is that many of these people are children. For children, loss of hearing carries a greater penalty than the loss of hearing for adults has. Children are still learning how to use language, and a loss of hearing can negatively impact their ability to communicate, understand and learn the language (Holler 2004).

In the article, to prevent these problems in schools, Holler suggests having regular assessments of noise in schools, keeping noise in cafeterias and gymnasiums as low as possible, encouraging students to use personal hearing protectors, and regular screening of students for hearing loss, so that it can be caught and treated early (Holler 2004). In "The Effectiveness of an Interactive Hearing Conservation Program for Children," by Gail D. Chermak, Lori Curtis, and J. Anthony Seikel, the researchers looked at recent increases in hearing loss in children and possible causes and solutions.

They determined that of children with hearing loss, the majority of them are boys ages ten and older who have diminished their hearing in leisure activity (Chermok 1). Their study primarily looked at the effectiveness of hearing education for children in elementary school, and its long-term effect on the children's responses to situations involving excessive noise. They presented to children two one-hour sessions in which they were asked first what they knew about hearing and hearing loss in a questionnaire and then were taught how to recognize situations of excessive noise, and how to protect their own hearing in those situations.

Results suggested that this education significantly increased the children's knowledge of hearing and hearing loss, and also increased the children's likelihood to use preventive and protective measures when around excessive noise. In the third article, "Hearing Conservation Education Programs for Children: A Review," by Robert L. Folmar, Susan E. Griest, and William Hal Martin, current efforts to protect children's hearing are reviewed, in order to provide a comprehensive source for educators.