Tiredness in deaf children and young people

People with hearing loss may have to concentrate more to listen and follow conversations, whether through speech or sign language. 

When the brain has to work harder to process information, that can be exhausting – particularly in noisy situations where it’s harder to fill in the missing pieces and separate speech from noise. 

Understanding that tiredness might be related to the effort it takes to communicate (sometimes referred to as 'communication fatigue') is an important first step. But there are things that can help reduce fatigue or recharge in between.

Understanding concentration fatigue

Most people have times when they find concentrating hard work, such as when following someone who's speaking softly or when it's noisy. Deaf children and young people, though, have to pay much more attention than their hearing peers. 

Some deaf people find it helpful to use lots of different ways of listening and understanding, like lip-reading or following signed conversations. But it may also mean there’s less energy for other things or longer interactions. 

If you’ve found your deaf child seems more tired than their hearing siblings or peers (for example, at the end of the day), it might be because it’s more of an effort for them to listen or interact for longer periods. This is called concentration fatigue.

If your child uses speech and listening, remember that children aren’t able to ignore another talker in the same way that adults can. When there are multiple talkers in a room (or background noise), this means your child will not be able to pick out the one voice they should be listening to.

How concentration fatigue affects deaf children

Whether it’s struggling to focus in class or less energy for homework, concentration fatigue can have an impact on your deaf child’s approach to school. Sharing our information on improving listening conditions might be helpful. 

At home, especially if it’s after a long, busy day, concentration fatigue can also impact what your deaf child has the energy to do. 

Some common signs of concentration fatigue include:

• getting easily frustrated
• mood changes
• wanting to remove hearing technology (as it helps ‘switch off’ for a while and recharge)
• inattentiveness or difficulty concentrating on work or conversations
• changes in activity levels, like having less stamina or not enjoying some activities as much as usual, especially in noisy environments
• giving up easily (since tasks seem more difficult)
• sleepiness in the morning or falling asleep on the way home from school

Can lip-reading reduce concentration fatigue?

Not really. Lip-reading involves processing visual and auditory information. This requires working memory and cognitive skills, which can be hard work. Plus, these skills take time to develop and can be limited by the vocabulary the child already knows. 

Since many lip patterns are identical for different speech sounds, they’ll still need to use context clues to understand. Lip-reading alone isn’t enough to effectively reduce communication fatigue.

Can using sign language reduce concentration fatigue?

Maybe. Particularly for those who use sign language as their first or main language, signing can provide a bit of a break – especially if everyone in the conversation is able to confidently sign. 

When a deaf child who signs is able to communicate directly with others (without the use of an interpreter), that can lead to clearer communication and fewer miscommunications. But communicating through an interpreter can lead to conversation delays and trying to ‘catch up’, which can be stressful. 

Even if your deaf child is able to use sign language, it can still be tiring – so there’s still a need to make sure they get breaks. 

Tips for dealing with concentration fatigue

Here are some helpful tips to reduce concentration fatigue and support your child’s energy levels:

• Make listening easier. Environmental changes (like minimising background noise or moving seats in class) and technology (such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, radio aids or soundfield systems) can help. Explore what works best in different situations.
• Explain it to educators. Our information about deaf-friendly teaching tips – like having good lighting, making sure speakers' faces are well-positioned for lip-reading and only having one person speaking at a time – can help them understand the importance of breaks and acoustically friendly environments. Take a look at our information on starting primary school and starting secondary school for more details.
• Create quiet time. Create spaces for rest periods throughout the day — whether that’s through naps, quiet activities or simply taking a break.
• Don’t overload schedules. Back-to-back activities don’t leave time for breaks. Especially when tasks require a lot of attention, it’s important to build in more breaks. Children and young people might need help managing their day by making sure they don’t have too many tasks or activities.
• Talk about tiredness. Help your child understand that it’s important to rest when needed, and explore what feels relaxing to them.
• Encourage self-awareness. Teach your child to recognise when they’re feeling tired or overstimulated, and help them communicate their needs to family, teachers or friends.
• Explain to friends. Encourage your child to explain to their friends that if they’re quieter than usual, it’s not because they don’t want to be friends. They just need a break.
• Get enough sleep. Make sure your child has good sleep routines that help them recharge after long days of listening and learning.
• Switch off when needed .It’s OK for your child to take a break from their hearing technology when they’re feeling exhausted. Everyone needs downtime, and this can help them "switch off" and recharge.

Dealing with concentration fatigue can be tiring – both for your deaf child and for you! You might like to visit our page on supporting your deaf child’s emotional health and wellbeing or our page on looking after yourself as a parent of a deaf child. 

Other causes of fatigue

While fatigue in deaf children is often recognised as being related to listening or lip-reading effort, there are many other causes of tiredness in children – such as physical activity levels, emotional stress or other health issues. 

If your child seems consistently tired, it’s a good idea to check in with your GP, named professional or health visitor to rule out other causes.