Deaf on one side - Will my child be unhappy with only one hearing ear?

Why should you hear on both sides?

Our ears are not redundant systems and the second ear is not a reserve - only those who hear well on both sides can develop all the hearing abilities we need in everyday life.

If a child is born with only one-sided hearing, it is not inherently happier or unhappier than other children. However, without support, this one-sidedness could soon lead to challenges and problems that have the potential to make them unhappy.

Hearing on both sides

We need auditory input from both sides for social listening skills:

Understanding speech in ambient noise: I need both ears to filter out my conversation partner's voice from the ambient noise. With only one ear, I have to concentrate much more on the person I'm talking to, get tired more quickly and have less ability to concentrate on other things, such as the factual content of the conversation. This becomes noticeable at school at the latest: a poorer average grade or even repeating individual school classes, lower self-confidence and self-esteem can follow.

Listening carefully and listening to conversations in everyday situations, even with background noise, is also important for the development of social skills.

Conversations and noise on the deaf side: those affected often fail to hear when they are addressed by the deaf side, but warning signals on the deaf side are also not perceived or are perceived late: e.g. the horn of an ambulance, a car horn or the engine noise of an approaching car or even a warning shout.
Directional hearing: It is difficult to determine the direction of a sound source with only one hearing side. This means that I need more time in group conversations to turn my head in the direction of the new speaker - and therefore use visual aids to help me understand. I also find it difficult to determine the direction of danger signals.

If these so-called binaural hearing abilities are lacking, this also means that those affected easily become outsiders. You can understand this by trying out the first three parts of the interactive game "Switch on Life".

In addition, people with one-sided deafness often complain of neck problems from a young age: Always turning the hearing side towards the speaker leads to unnaturally one-sided posture in the classroom, at lecture halls, in the theater and even when walking with friends.

What you need to consider to hear on both sides

Always test both sides separately during the hearing test!
Always provide adequate support for each hearing-impaired ear: For children or adults with unilateral hearing loss or deafness, a hearing system for the affected side; for those with bilateral hearing loss, a hearing system for both sides!

Tips and exercises on how you can consciously support the development of binaural hearing skills can also be found in the parent brochure for children with bilateral CIs.