Unilateral deafness
Discover more about single-sided deafness or one-sided hearing loss.
Unilateral deafness means that a child has hearing loss in one ear – it’s sometimes called one-sided hearing loss or single-sided deafness (SSD). Deafness can range from mild to profound in the affected ear.
The deafness may be permanent or temporary. Your child’s hearing tests will help you understand their type of deafness and level of deafness. There are a lot of possible causes of unilateral deafness.
Understanding unilateral deafness
All children with unilateral deafness are individuals and may experience deafness in different ways.
Some may have very similar challenges to those with bilateral deafness (deafness in both ears).
Children with unilateral deafness may find it more difficult to:
- hear sounds or speech on the side with the deafness, as the head blocks sound from that side
- identify what’s causing a sound, the direction a sound is coming from or judge how far away the source of the sound is
- understand speech when there is background noise
As children with unilateral deafness rely heavily on their hearing ear, it can be difficult when it is affected by things such as glue ear or ear infections. Because of this, it is important to continue monitoring the hearing ear and attend appointments with your audiologist.
Impact of unilateral deafness
The impact of unilateral deafness on a child may become more noticeable as they get older and in more challenging listening environments.
There are several signs you may notice that could indicate a child has some level of deafness. A child with unilateral deafness may also appear to prefer the use of one ear, for example, turning their head to hear better or always using a particular ear when on the phone.
Sometimes, family, friends and teachers may not realise the impact unilateral deafness has on a child. Some may appear to be managing well and can usually hear clearly in one-to-one situations. However, they would still benefit from good deaf awareness, more targeted support, and technology if they choose to use it.
Using technology
There are many different types of technology, such as hearing aids and bone conduction hearing devices, which can be helpful for children with unilateral deafness.
Technologies that may be particularly suitable for those with unilateral deafness include:
Charlie was born with left-sided microtia atresia and wears a bone anchored hearing device.
Charlie enjoys connecting his BAHA to his phone or iPad, which he uses to stream music and videos. He also has a radio aid that connects to his BAHA, which comes in handy when we’re in noisy places or if Charlie is sat in the back of our 7-seater car! Also, Charlie’s teacher sometimes wears his radio aid in the classroom.”
Tina, mum to Charlie (11), shares her son’s experience of using technology with single-sided hearing loss.
Unilateral deafness in daily life
Unilateral deafness isn’t the same for everyone. Some children may manage fine with some things, while others may benefit from more support.
Unilateral deafness can have an effect on a variety of things:
Incidental learning and language development
Incidental learning is learning that takes place in everyday settings, at home or out and about, and is not taught at school. Children learn language through play and by hearing things going on around them. This helps them build vocabulary and gives them grammar and general knowledge.
Children with unilateral deafness may not always overhear what people are saying or hear what’s going on around them.
Find out more about supporting language development.
Tiredness
Children with unilateral deafness may be using more energy concentrating on listening, particularly in noisy environments. As a result, they may experience problems concentrating, feeling tired and frustration that affects their behaviour.
Learn more about supporting deaf children with tiredness and concentration fatigue.
Road safety
Unilateral deafness makes it difficult for a child to tell which direction traffic is coming from, so it's important to teach your child to take extra care when crossing the road.
When out cycling, rear view mirrors on your child’s bike can help them to see a car when it’s behind them. Our page on cycling is full of tips on how you can help your child to ride their bike safely.
In the classroom
Many children with unilateral deafness will manage well at school. However, classrooms can be challenging listening environments and some children may benefit from additional support.
Take a look at our information on education in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Information and support
If you'd like to talk to other parents of children with single-sided deafness, check out the Unilateral Hearing Loss Support Group on Facebook.
The Little Ears, Big Challenges podcast from University College London discusses unilateral deafness in children.
Take a look at these videos where families of children with unilateral deafness tell their stories:
Kim and Ela's story
Clodagh, George and Bethany's story
Full references for this webpage are available by emailing
informationteam@ndcs.org.uk