How Hard Can It Be To Listen? Fatigue in School-Age Children with Hearing Loss

Teachers and parents have long believed that children with hearing loss (CHL) are at increased risk for fatigue. CHL may be physically and mentally “worn out” as a result of focusing so intently on a teacher’s speech and on conversations with other students. Moreover, increased listening effort, stress, and subsequent fatigue could compromise a child’s ability to learn in a noisy classroom environment. Only recently, however, have we begun to see empirical studies supporting the notion that some CHL experience more fatigue than children with normal hearing (CNH). The purpose of this paper is to enhance the awareness of fatigue in school-age CHL among educational audiologists. To this end, an overview on the topic of fatigue in CHL is provided including its importance, definitions, consequences, and preliminary findings from a large-scale study at Vanderbilt University. In addition, we discuss the role of the educational audiologist in the identification and management of CHL who are fatigued. Research on fatigue in CHL is lacking and the importance of, and need for, scientific exploration in this area is emphasized.