Swimming instruction for children with hearing impairment

Abstract

The development of equilibrium function in children with hearing impairment is reportedly delayed compared to that in healthy children because of an impairment in the peripheral equilibrium sense organ. However, it is also suggested that this underdeveloped function is complemented by the compensatory function of the central nervous system and that this compensatory function is promoted if the equilibrium function is trained in the early stages when plasticity is present in the brain. Children with hearing impairment and their parents are only able to enjoy a relatively small section of the world at large, compared with hearing individuals, because of the communication difficulties faced by the children and because their livelihood domains tend to be limited to those related to children with hearing impairment. We encountered a child with severe hearing impairment due to Waardenburg syndrome whose equilibrium function improved while going to a swimming school with his mother, which may have consequently promoted his integration into local society. In addition, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey involving members of the Association of Parents of Children with Hearing Impairment in Japan, focusing on swimming instruction for children with hearing impairment, and found favorable effects of swimming instructions.