On the same wavelength: Deaf and hard-of-hearing children keep pace with hearing peers in emotional development
Inclusivity
Deaf and hard-of-hearing children can find it challenging to blend in during recess on the playground. Yet, in recent studies, two PhD researchers studying children in China and Portugal showed that the emotional development of these children is largely on par with their hearing classmates.
Brenda de Sousa da Silva and Zijian Li conducted research in Portugal and China, respectively, examining the social and emotional development of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. 'Many of these children have cochlear implants, but that doesn’t automatically mean that they can fully engage with their hearing peers at school or in playgrounds,' explains professor Carolien Rieffe. 'For example, background noise—such as children yelling during play —can make it difficult to follow conversations between peers. As a result, children with hearing loss often find it harder to participate in social interactions, which can impact their emotional and social development.'
Nevertheless, both studies found little to no differences in the emotional development of DHH children compared to their hearing peers. Rieffe: 'So the question is; What did it?'
‘The physical environment plays a key role in how deaf and hard-of-hearing children feel and behave’
‘How do deaf and hard-of-hearing preschoolers develop socially and emotionally compared to their hearing peers? This was the focus of my research in Portugal, where we specifically examined social behaviours in the playground and how these were influenced by external factors such as the physical and social environment. We gathered data using questionnaires completed by parents and teachers, used sensor technology to measure social relationships between children, and observed their natural play behaviours in the playground using specially developed software.
Our findings revealed no differences in the social and emotional development of Portuguese preschoolers with or without hearing loss. However, we did notice that DHH children played more often alone, while their hearing peers were more likely to play together. The question, then, is why? Are deaf children deliberately excluded? Is the playground’s acoustics making it difficult for DHH children to engage? Further research at the Focus on Emotions lab (focusonemotions.nl) is now exploring the role of the physical environment and the concept of ‘soundscapes’—how sound is perceived. Issues within these soundscapes can create invisible barriers for deaf preschoolers; barriers that we need to address before tackling broader questions about their social interactions.’
Brenda de Sousa da Silva | Being deaf at the playground: the effect of hearing loss on children's social participation
‘Deaf and hard-of-hearing children need social interactions to learn when to express feelings of guilt or shame’
‘I researched the development of social emotions in preschoolers with hearing impairments in China, focusing specifically on moral emotions such as shame, guilt, and empathy. These emotions emerge later in development as they are shaped by the cultural environment in which a child grows up— moral emotions guide children on how they are ‘expected’ to behave in a given society.
To develop these emotions well, children need access to their social environment, which can be challenging for DHH children. Research in recent years has suggested that this might negatively affect their emotional development. However, we found little to no evidence for difficulties in the emotional development in our sample of Chinese DHH preschoolers.
For this study, we first validated two newly designed questionnaires and then tracked the development of preschoolers with and without hearing impairments over a one-year period. Our findings showed that as preschoolers grow older, they display more moral and prosocial behaviours. The Chinese Centre for Rehabilitation in Beijing, with whom we collaborated on this study, focuses on creating an inclusive environment with peers from an early age, tailoring interactions to each child’s individual developmental level. This highlights the importance of early, personalised interventions and guidance in ensuring that DHH preschoolers can fully participate in social environments with peers.’
Zijian Li | Social Emotions and Social Functioning in Chinese Deaf and Hard-of- Hearing and Hearing Preschoolers