2024 Volume 67 Issue 4 Pages 275-284
Following the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection, the environment surrounding children has changed dramatically, including their need to wear masks and take online classes. There have been reports of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children who are still growing, and there are concerns that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on children with hearing loss is particularly severe.
Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey targeting hearing-impaired children attending special-needs schools and special-needs classes and their parents as well as teachers, to assess the changes in their lives and minds, and the effects of mask wearing. Responses were received from 291 hearing-impaired children, their parents, and 332 teachers.
The results of the survey revealed that the coronavirus pandemic placed a heavy burden, including stress, on the children with hearing loss, in addition to their hearing difficulty. Wearing a mask had a particularly large effect, with more than 80% of hearing-impaired children saying they had trouble seeing their mouths the mouth movements of people speaking to them, and it was also the most common cause of poor health. We shall also report on the effects of differences in the language modalities used and the current situation of these children.?
