[Employment and communication of hearing disabled patients]

Communicative disorders can remain an uncomfortable, costly, and debilitating factor throughout the lives of millions of children and adults. Deafness is a common problem and no age group is spared. Causes of hearing loss are numerous, and may be multifactorial in an individual. Important causes include trauma, including noise and air pressure changes; genetic hearing loss; infection, including rubella; drug damage, metabolic and neoplasia. Prompt detection and management of hearing loss in children is essential to ensure adequate development of language and associated skills. Untreated hearing loss in adults may cause them to withdraw from social activities. The patient with a hearing loss may represent difficult evaluation and management decisions. While individuals with defective hearing have a wide-ranging choice among absolutely attractive occupations, that choice is likely to be narrowed along with growing severity of the handicap. Hazardous, hearing-related, contact, and noisy occupations are not suitable for them. In handling such persons, due consideration should be given not only to the handicap proper but very much also to psychological aspects.