I went to a great conference today. It was riveting and I was hooked on pretty much every word.
And then I got home and collapsed on the sofa. I’m not just tired, I’m shattered. I’ve had to turn my ears off to rest in silence and my eyes are burning. I’ve also had about 3 cups of tea just to write this paragraph.
Boo-hoo, so the Noon is tired, so what? True. People go through worse.
But I do also think the fact that the impact of deafness doesn’t just manifest itself in communication is ever really that well understood. It’s about the energy involved in lipreading and being attentive all day long.
Processing and constructing meaning out of half-heard words and sentences. Making guesses and figuring out context. And then thinking of something intelligent to say in response to an invariably random question.
It’s like doing jigsaws, Suduku and Scrabble all at the same time.
For deaf children and young people, especially, I don’t think this impact is as widely recognised as it should be. Advice to teachers on working with deaf children tends to talk far more about language and communication, rather than concentration fatigue.
And some deaf children and young people I meet haven’t been given the space to talk about what impact deafness has on them and to work out strategies to deal with it; like taking regular breaks and being honest to grown ups that they’re tired, without fear they’ll be labelled as lazy.
When I was younger, I was a little embarrassed to be so tired all the time. I would force myself to go out and be busy and out there when really all I wanted to do was crawl under the sofa and nap for a hundred years. Nobody ever really told me that being tired was ‘OK’.
It follows through to when deaf young people grew up and become deaf professionals. It was a long while before I started to openly admit to colleagues that long or successive meetings are the enemy of me and that I would need extended breaks to be able to function later. And to get friends to realise that if I wasn’t saying very much in the pub, it’s probably cos I was too tired to think.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that deaf people can do anything and everything. We can change the world. But we might need a nap and a cuppa tea every once in a while, so don’t judge us.
Ian Noon has been profoundly deaf since birth, giving him an interesting perspective “on what needs to change for deaf children and young people in the UK. It also means I have very questionable taste in music.” When he’s not stealing the biscuits in the office, he runs, does yoga and plans his next backpacking holiday. He works for a deaf charity but his views expressed on his blog and here, are his own. Follow him on Twitter as @IanNoon
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Sylvia Webb
June 28, 2013
Oh Ian – how I agree with you – and I am not a child!
This applies to anyone with hearing loss, so I am sure the effects on children and their education too is totally misunderstood. I have Menieres, which was diagnosed when I was in my mid 30s, and I am now in my late 60s, I have no hearing in my left ear, and that in my right ear fluctuates often by the minute, and my brain is continually having to adjust to the changes. I get soooooooo tired, a few hours of speech-to-text or lipreading just wipes me out. I sit there afterwards, wanting to do something, not really ready for sleep cos I need to wind down, can’t concentrate on reading subtitles, can’t hear music or radio …..
Yes, we need to add it to the least of things for “deaf awareness”, that we will be sleepy folk who perhaps need that much more rest than others.
scotsfran
June 28, 2013
so true!
Robert Duncan
June 28, 2013
This is a really important contribution – and Ian’s right, it is almost never taken into account by educators, employers and those who organise meetings. Ian seems to rely on lip-reading, but the message is just as important for Deaf people who use BSL and those who teach, meet and work with them.
lisa rainey
June 28, 2013
I agree with deaf people not feeling able to say they are tired after 1hour of talking ‘listening’ (lip reading to be more accurate) because hearing peers say ‘but all we have done is discuss’. they simply do not understand that lip reading is exactly that! reading. imagine reading for 1 hour and your eyes do not need a break? it took me to adulthood to realise this was actually not me being lazy. I wonder if other deaf people realise why they get tired quicker in class than hearing peers?
Teresa
June 28, 2013
Hi Ian et al Agree with all points and deaf children/their families ( maybe especially those without deaf peers to relate to?) may not have the knowledge/self awareness to manage fatigue which can also be caused by balance problems (balance is usually used to move the eye pupil/focus which may need to be compensated for).As Ian points out, fatigue management is important to develop study skills and balance the demands or study/work/personal life.Having the language to explain, alternative suggestions though also the understanding of other factors impacting on work colleagues can be key.In education, it is vital that teachers through the key stages are as aware as possible-day to day and whilst supporting learners with transition:
Tim
June 28, 2013
Good stuff, Ian. Yet another reason, as if any were needed, that oralism is rubbish and should be opposed.
Andrew
June 28, 2013
Following conversations like hearing people, is like watching ping pong at the Olympics with 8 players playing at the same time, trying to follow all the balls! It’s a fact of life. Need technology to help with following conversations.
Caris
June 28, 2013
This is so true. This article hit the nail on the head. I hope teachers everywhere read this.
It is even harder for deaf people with Usher. They have that fatigue with BSL too. Filling in the gaps and doing sign language suduko all at the same time as remembering where furniture is and the drinks at risk of being spilt. On top of that getting around is draining. Just having to visually scan from side to side as you walk down the street. Usher is a 100 times more tiring than deafness. Hearing people need to learn about deaf people and deaf people need to remember the same about Usher.
Robert Mandara
June 28, 2013
Great article Ian!
In the context of studying or meetings, the majority of the energy can go one working out what is being said, leaving little left to make sense of the message itself.
In the context of work, I still tire easily, even without meetings or training sessions. Even when it is quiet I think we struggle to process ambient sounds or else tune into our tinnitus, ultimately leaving us more exhausted than our hearing colleagues.
scotsfran
June 28, 2013
The comment “In the context of studying or meetings, the majority of the energy can go one working out what is being said, leaving little left to make sense of the message itself.” is also very true. Its often been pointed out my delay in responding to something in a meeting – first I’m processing what I’ve worked out as being said, then finding the right time to ‘butt in’ and say something in response. By that time, everyone else has moved on 🙁
Vickie
June 30, 2013
I have had that problem also. It’s like when a joke is told, timing is key and if you don’t hear it or get it at the same time as everyone else, you find you are laughing by yourself and miss out on the fun. The work world is so fast paced and I find people lack the patience to deal with you. I also find that if you say you didn’t hear the response, people sometimes take that as you weren’t paying attention and think less of you or don’t trust you as much. What results from that is that you find yourself guessing what people are saying more and asking what they said less. I feel that creates more distance between you and people because you really don’t know if you are right half the time and you aren’t really in the conversation. It could bring on loneliness. I feel this is more true in the workplace than in school because teachers and other classmates are more understanding and school isn’t as fast paced. I really would like this to change.
sarah
June 28, 2013
I agreed that lip-reading and being so observant at all time as people are moving around all the times, it can be so tiring and stressful as you don’t want to.miss out the conversations.
Deborah roberts
June 28, 2013
Thank you so much for this article. I too find I get very tired and case conferences are the worst where you need to do the best for your client and not miss a point!
Ali Kennedy
June 28, 2013
Ian I completely agree with this article it is so hard to have to always concentrate harder than most people. What’s even more so is that it seems sometimes we need more time to get things done because concentration is so hard for us which means that by the time we get things done it’s like people have forgotten we even started certain things. It really makes me happy that colleges and schools are giving out extra time to people with disabilities I only hope those who are deaf are getting extra time with school work and homework. It makes me sad that the real world gives no extra time at least not that I know of.
Beth
June 28, 2013
Finally!!! Someone needed to say this! Thank you Ian!
anotherboomerblog
June 28, 2013
Reblogged this on Another Boomer Blog and commented:
The older I get the more fatigue I experience after a long day of concentration on what is being said.
Jill
June 28, 2013
Brilliant Ian – this is so true. I’d like to also add that Disabled people have been trying to say a similar thing about exhaustion for a long time but often shy away from saying anything for fear of not being accepted on the course or of being looked down on by peers or work colleagues who already believe we are given too much ‘leeway’. It’s a tough call isn’t it? Especially in today’s climate…
Lauren smith
June 28, 2013
This is fantastic. I work as a teaching assistant for SEN children and for the past year have led supporting HI students. All my deaf awareness training has been great but I totally agree that not enough emphasis is out on ‘concentration fatigue’. HI student have such a hard battle conversing with their peers and in other social settings, in class is an even higher level of challenge. Grasping at bits, trying to process this snippet of info, hoping to comprehend what’s relevant, and decipher if they’ve understood correctly… All before the class conversation, topic has moved on or switched focus.
Needless to say I will be emailing this to staff. Maybe this will work better and give more impact than my reminders.
Barb Bavido
June 28, 2013
I finally give myself permission to take breaks during school. My classes are 4 hours long and reading captions at the speed of some professors is like hypnosis. I finally just get up and excuse myself, go to the bathroom, take a break and come back. The captionist must stop when I leave the room which IMO needs to be changed. The system just doesn’t understand just how exhausting it is. Thanks Ian Noon.
Stargirl
June 28, 2013
Reblogged this on Starlight Grove and commented:
YES. I can not stress how TRUE this is especially for me. This is exactly why I hate lipreading and why I’m trying to switch to signing being my primary method of communication. I have so limited energy as it is these days and lipreading takes far more than signing does. As does the frustration that goes along with lipreading. Finally, I have a name for it: “concentration fatigue”.
mhgal
June 28, 2013
And as an educational interpreter, there’s not a lot of give and take, the way there is with a regular conversation. So much of it is simply watching and attending to the same person interpreting for HOURS. I often have to remind teachers of this when they mention that the student is looking tired or “not paying attention”.
Jennie
June 28, 2013
I can’t agree more with this young man! As a mom of a 3 1/2 year old with hearing loss I can be the first to say I do see an impact on him when he has alot of learning or communication that day.. Thank you for putting it out there so others will try to understand!!!!
Maureen Glover
June 28, 2013
Brilliant article, let’s hope it makes a difference. Mo
QOBF (@hccath)
June 28, 2013
We need to add the visual noise, either directly or indirectly, such as trying to find out who was talking, people’s fidgety, background noise, powerpoint etc at the same time as trying to digest the information.
Dawn
June 29, 2013
Wow! As a mom of a kid who is D/HH, I have never read about this, but would make sense. No wonder our son is exhausted all the time. Thanks for pointing this out…it is much appreciate from a Mom who only reads about how to help her child and has never BTDT.
GM
June 29, 2013
Mr. Noon, do you believe that this fatigue exists for my 6 year old son who is deaf in only 1 ear? He does use a FM transmitter at school. Does that device help with the fatigue?
firestar
June 29, 2013
No, it doesn’t, GM. It may help *lessen* the fatigue, but it’s always going to be there, whether he has an FM system, hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc. It’s the half-heard sentences, guessing if someone said, “I don’t need that” v. “I do need it”, the effort that comes with constantly concentrating on what’s said while within a group.
Think of it this way: If you were hard of hearing, would YOU be able to concentrate on 6 different conversations at one time if they were immediately around you? Or, if you were deaf in one ear (like your son), would you miss half of those 6 conversations because they were taking place next to your deaf ear?
You’d have to compensate for that deaf ear by swiveling your head so that you could hear those other 3 conversations. But then you’ll miss the first 3. When those 6 conversations wrap up, you’re exhausted, & what you’ve heard what amounts to gibberish.
FM systems–& everything else out there–can only “help” your son hear. They’re not miracle workers. They can only assist with the hearing that’s *already* there; they can’t *add* hearing where none exists.
Wendy
June 29, 2013
What a wonderful article. This is my first visit to this site, and I’m definitely bookmarkin it.
I have been slowly going deaf my entire life. I often needed a nap when I got home from school. I worse my hearing got the more often I would need them. Almost six years ago my life changed when I got a cochlear implant in my right ear. As I learned to hear wtih it my need fo recharge my batteries after bouts of intense listening sessions became less frequent.
I am a deaf educator and when I meet my students’ new teachers in the fall, yes the emphasis of what we discuss is on the technology, language, and communication; but as someone who lives through this daily I do tell them about the concentration fatigue factor and to take this into account.
Bronwen
July 2, 2013
I agree totally with this article. I also have experience of working with people with ASD (autistic spectrum disorders) and have found that they too suffer from fatigue (often in expressed in very different ways!). It is exhausting trying to fit in to the “neurotypical”, or hearing world and we need to be much more accommodating. Regular breaks etc. Lets stop trying to force everyone to conform to a very narrow learning and communicating style.
Lady_Ashmire
October 21, 2013
I agree, I got to this article from an autism blog that was making the same comparison. I used to think I had hangovers from drinking alcohol even though I had smaller amounts than other people—so I tried eliminating it completely and had the exact same symptoms, and time of day/when I got to bed didn’t seem to be the answer, either. By process of elimination, I figured out that socialization itself, especially with neurotypicals, was what did this to me. Then I realized it was exactly the same feeling as I had after sitting for four hours of finals exams and *for the same reason*.
deafnotdaft
June 29, 2013
Here’s the issue though. You’re at a job interview and the interviewer says, “Ah, I see you’re deaf. Does that mean you’re less productive than hearing people because you get tired and need to keep taking breaks?”. How do you reply?
Tomnoddy
June 30, 2013
Is that question even permitted nowadays? If it was asked in Britain I believe it would be a breach of the Disability Discrimination act.
Bbeenie
July 10, 2013
That is absolutely an inappropriate (and illegal, where I am) interview question. It is a valid concern, however, to be worried that interviewers might think that. I think, if you are concerned, that making it a point to mention that reasonable breaks to avoid being overwhelmed make a person MORE productive and that you can recognize when you need one instead of letting yourself get exhausted to the point of distraction would sound very self aware and responsible to me as an interviewer. Someone who does what needs to be done (self care is equally important as working overtime) rather that holding it in or hiding an issue until it can’t be resolved is someone I want on my team.
One of them too
October 22, 2013
“What an excellent question! It gives me a great deal of insight on what it would be like to work here/for you!”
Irene Winn
June 29, 2013
Thank you so much for putting into words the difficulties I have had to put up with for some time. I was born with one deaf ear, but I I didn’t notice any fatigue then. However, in 1996 I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue. I get so frustrated because people just do not understand, first, how hard | have to work in order to understand the conversation and secondly, how quickly I can become clinically exhausted. It is just so good to know that someone out there does understand.
Treska
June 29, 2013
I was born with profoundly deaf and never had interpreter. I remembered when I was in grade 1. i was lipreading with 30 hearing student and a teacher every day, imagine on every person has a different mouth movement such as accent or mumbled or different background or whatever. One day in the afternoon I became exhausted and I fell asleep and a teacher was very furious with me and she was using a long ruler, slapped on my desk and said to me PAY ATTENTION. I was so shocked and were trying to stay awake. I’ve found a way to sleep while my eye stay awake. The teacher on every grade had mentioned on my report card that I often were day dreaming , they didn’t realized I was sleeping. (for seven years before I went to School for the Deaf)
Suson
June 29, 2013
Thank you so much Ian. I am HOH and my brother is Deaf. I am a different personality and so much more free and expressive when in the Deaf world. Sign frees me. I feel like an actor when in the hearing world, and that I haven’t quite got my lines down pat. After one of the ‘scenes’, such as a regular work day I am so fatigued and beat myself up for missing things and not ‘performing’ well.
Sally-Jayne
June 29, 2013
Thank you for the insight into what it’s like to be a Deaf learner. I’ll certainly be more aware when I’m teaching now. I’m going to reblog this to share with others.
Sally-Jayne
June 29, 2013
Reblogged this on SJB Teaching and commented:
A great insight into what it’s like to be a Deaf learner.
Gina R
June 30, 2013
Thank You so much for this! I am a hearing mother of a very motivated daughter with a severe bilateral loss. She loves to learn, loves to talk & enjoys school, but at the end of her day she is exhausted. When I mentioned at her last IEP meeting that she was exhausted and homework is a bit of an issue I was told, “homework is what it is & we can’t change that.” Well, after 7 hours of mainstream class time, I think she has done enough and should be given a break. I sent this blog to her special services teacher to forward to her mainstream teachers.. concentration fatigue. There’s a term for what she is feeling and next school year they will need to modify some requirements to meet her needs. Again, thank you!!
Henry Kisor
June 30, 2013
Oralism is rubbish? Nonsense. Many of us have led successful lives as oralists. Of course there are drawbacks, but so also are there drawbacks with sign language. People on both sides of the divide need to understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to deafness.
Robert Duncan
June 30, 2013
Henry, congratulations on the great successes you have had. From the first chapter of your book ‘What’s That Pig Outdoors?’ – http://henrykisor.com/pigchapterone.htm – I see you supported the ‘Deaf President Now!’ campaign at Gallaudet in 1988 and that you say “Apart from their brief flurry of revolutionary grandiloquence at Gallaudet, they [Deaf people] have quietly asked only that their community be accepted as a proud, legitimate member of the plurality of cultures that makes up the United States.”
I quote that only in the hope that you don’t get some knee-jerk-anti responses to your posting! I’m sure Ian, who started this excellent discussion, would agree with your NO-one-size-fits-all argument. One of the problems is that D/deaf people have not been treated as individuals, and their individual needs and wishes respected. That lack of respect and appropriate treatment is a large factor in the tiredness that Ian and other D/deaf people, whether oral or sign language users, have been forced to experience through lack of understanding and accommodation of their needs.
The one word in your posting I would probably want to examine more closely is ‘drawbacks’. It seems to me there are only drawbacks in using certain methods of communication or languages when they encounter resistance, misunderstanding, lack of accommodation, barriers or downright hostility. Historically, it appears to me (as a hearing person) that sign language users have probably had to encounter more of these than oralists. But I’m sure you (like Ian) have had to face your fair share as well.
It’s a drawback not to be able to speak French in a monolingual French-speaking society. But if the United Nations, for example, refused to provide French-language interpreters or make its proceedings accessible to French speakers, that would be a drawback only because of discrimination, lack of accommodation, unwillingness to meet the communication needs of a specific group. Whatever linguistic approach you or other D/deaf people choose, I think there’s a responsibility on all of us to try and ensure that it need not be a drawback for you.
Christina Beierle
April 6, 2016
Actually, studies shows that ASL has more of a positive impact on thriving children, while most Deaf children have learning delays and such while learning oral. He was trying to emphasize that leaving ASL out of the picture really does do more harm than good. It is all in the statistics and studies have proven that Deaf children have more success learning ASL.
sarah
June 30, 2013
That is probably why some deaf people don’t go out and socialize a lot more than hearing people because we are too tired to enjoy the nightlife, I for example have never go out in the evenings because I get so tired and doesn’t seem to enjoy seeing others people’s company where they are?’!, I remembered how hard it was to study,read all school stuffs and it is a struggle. Now after reading this, u have found me a solution to my way of not able to go out in evenings etc.
Erin
July 1, 2013
Oh, this is a topic that I, as a mother of a deaf child, am constantly arguing about. I don’t know what it’s like personally, but I do know my child and how exhausted she gets. When I had to fight for a year to get her diagnosed at 18 months old, I hadn’t wasted any time learning and teaching her ASL. While communicating in ASL was quite natural for her and maybe not so tiring, it was exhausting for me because my brain needed to take the signs and translate them to English. I feel exhausted after every function I go to where I have to communicate in ASL. Now, at age 11, my daughter has had one cochlear implant for 9 years and the other for 7 years. We still use sign at home, however, she is very oral. In fact, we live in a rural area with very few hearing impaired people, there is one boy in preschool with a cochlear implant and one boy in high school with a cochlear implant; there aren’t any signing deaf kids. Anyway, I noticed right away how exhausted she would be after preschool and I felt (still feel) like I was defending her crankiness. She is a VERY successful CI user and people can’t tell she is deaf unless they know or see her equipment. She works hard at listening, yet people don’t know that, they assume she hears the same as any hearing person does. I have to explain how hard she has to work to hear and she’s tired because of it. Nobody seems to get it, it makes perfect sense to me! I also notice this with my younger son, who I taught ASL to since the day he was born. Because I learned so much about language acquisition from having a deaf child, I decided to put my now bilingual hearing child in a Spanish Immersion Elementary school. I notice he goes through a similar experience, Learning Spanish so young, he is able to “think” in Spanish rather than having to translate to English in his head. But, I must say that he, too, is exhausted after school from having to learn in a language that is not his native language.
So, as a parent of a profoundly deaf child and a multilingual hearing child, I’m very aware of the exhaustion, I struggle with getting others to understand that I’m not just always making excuses for them.
Andy (not any of the other Andies)
July 1, 2013
Bingo!
Looking back to our time at an oral deaf school; I almost always had weird sensations after twenty or so minutes of staring at a 2x10cm area (undulating lips) across a classroom, with a droning voice – yes, sensations of desperately needing to just stand up and be anywhere else but that room. It wasn’t until I started work that I realised that hearing folk don’t ever stare at the same small area for longer than ten seconds! Explains it eh.
But again, I never had this problem in classes with dynamic teachers, using a wide variety of medium to explain concepts; use of white boards, group work, hands-on experiments, et cetera. Surprise, surprise.
I do explain to some hearing colleagues that every single one of us has a limited quota of concentration for any given amount of time, and that anything which strains any of our senses will see that quota used up at an alarming rate, and then efficiency to absorb information nosedives (to use a language they’re more familiar with.)
And I’m kicking myself that I never pointed that out to the teachers, I had in our secondary school, whenever they poked fun / contempt at sign language (which is my mother ‘tongue’ by the way).
deafnotdaft
July 1, 2013
Unless there is some other medical condition at play (like ME or CFS),I think many deaf people have a higher threshold of fatigue than hearing people. Yes, they have to concentrate longer and harder. But their brains and bodies become accustomed to working overtime so they are actually capable of putting in much more effort than hearing folk before they become tired. You and I get out of breath when running for a bus. But Mo Farrah doesn’t because his body is used to the extra exertion. I think deaf people should be encouraged not to give in to fatigue but to get used to having to work harder than hearing people.
Dawn Young
July 1, 2013
As a parent of a recently recognised Deaf child I couldn’t agree more. At every sensory support meeting the focus is on my daughter concentrating more, focusing more, ensuring she has understood the instruction. The emphasis is on her and she is only 6!! 6 year olds are not the best at concentration and focus at the best of times. There is a distinct lack of understanding of Deaf children and their capabilities. As a parent if i mention these limitations it is frowned upon. This is by professionals who are supposed to be the specialists in Deaf children. It is frustrating also when you have to fight for assistance, i.e. radio aids because your child is “not deaf enough” and the trouble with that is that they are interpreting the reports in a very different way to the health professionals but that is an uphill battle or it involves battling against “over-anxious parent syndrome”. I am a firm believer in the fact tht our daughter will be the only person who dictates what she will do with her life but at 6 she needs the adults to recognise that school is a loud, confusing and at times scary place that tires Deaf children and can leave them feeling frustrated and a little lost. Teachers need better training so that they have a better understanding of how it affects those children and so that they are aware that hearing Aids DO NOT fix deafness and that sometimes those little people just want to switch it all off. In the UK we have campaigned and pettitions to get better rights and access for people who are less bodily able. Yet we have not yet started to understand and appreciate deafness and all the unique issues that it can bring.
deaflinguist
July 1, 2013
This resonates with me as an adult – concentration fatigue in lipreading. I’m a lifelong lipreader and as I have got older, relying on lipreading alone HAS got harder. I’ve just got less energy to spare to go into lipreading, especially as I work in a job that requires a lot of concentration in itself. If my attention is called while I’m focused on my work, I have to almost physically flick a switch in my brain, from the reading text mode to the lipreading mode, and vice versa.
But it isn’t just processing first the mechanical means (the moving lips) by which the message is conveyed, then decoding the message itself. There’s also the concentration fatigue inherent in negotiating the modern urban environment – the constant double-checking for cars silently bombing round a corner, the high alert for pesky cyclists on the pavement, the strain of using public transport when things go pear-shaped.
Both these things motivated me to go for a CI, as there was no aided option left. The first thing a deaf friend said on meeting me post-CI, not knowing I’d had the op: “You look so relaxed.” It just gives me extra clues to life as I live it.
steph
July 8, 2013
this is so true!! being severely hard of hearing, I rely intensively on lipreading with some cues from vocal sounds. Its exhausting filling in the blank. Love how you point out that its like doing Jig Saws, Suduku and Scrabble all at once. So true our mind is constantion trying to work to fill in the blank of what we “think” understand and if it makes sense to the content and all. My husband work place has a “quiet” room for employers and I loved that concept. My husband also severely Hard of hearing, after a long meeting he would need a break from Work to compensate and give his brain a lil pause before getting back into the tasks on hand. This not only implies for children but adults too. Workplaces should be more understanding of everyone with hearing loss, and of children too at schools especially those in bilingual program (Integration) or blended programs. Thanks for pointing this out!!
sandra Beer
July 8, 2013
You need to go on National TV also to get the message through to the general public, politicians, teacher, Doctors etc the list goes on. You are a lovely person.
Beth
July 10, 2013
I can’t speak for my son , but I am exhausted. Thank you for your wisdom.
sumayyahtalibah
July 10, 2013
I’m HOH with hearing aids in both ears, and I totally agree with this post. At the end of most days, especially ones where I’ve been out running errands and/or volunteering at my kids’ school, I find myself exhausted, and I’ve never been able to explain why, until reading this. This is something that should be addressed. Thank you for writing this.
donaldo of the wasatch
July 10, 2013
Amen. Concurrent with what you have so brilliantly articulated (for a deaf person like you and me) is another related phenomenon. Deaf and deaf folks know when people (hearing and otherwise) are screaming and yelling at us. This is where I go with “hearing with your brains.” Beyond the auditory capabilities that you have, you also have to process linguistically. That is a neurological phenomenon sequentially from the auditory if you have the capability. And I have noticed that my residual hearing capabilities are additionally impaired by the shock of yelling/screaming. But, it is the neurologically related stuff that is impaired. Have a former spouse who would scream that I was not listening. I would actually find that my speech discrimination then would deteriorate in reaction to the stress. This is part of the classic “fight or flight syndrome.” We all need to understand this better and I know of no grounded research that talks to this issue. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Carolyn Moore
July 17, 2013
Thanks, Ian, for sharing this. I had considered my own fatigue (because of my limited signing ability) but hadn’t even thought about how tiring for a deaf person at a hearing event. Thanks for sharing your innermost 🙂
donaldo of the wasatch
July 18, 2013
Thanks to Carolyn! I must be a solitary among solitaries??? Prelingual deaf, and yet with hearing aids and more recently a Cochlear Implant, I do feel the fatigue, but usually at the event. If I concentrate too long and too hard, I just have to doze off for a bit. Been doing this for over 58 years since my fourth birthday a pair of hearing aids. I cannot even hear my own voice, just feel it in my head in the general sense. So many hearing impaired folks seem to have many issues that I have not had to deal with and yet their are more over riding issues that I do not see covered in research or the social media of the deafened, Thanks Carolyn!
Denise
July 19, 2013
Finally found my answer!!! Thank you for posting and sharing about the needs to take breaks and rest in order to be able to function and continue on with living on a day to day basis…
@barakta
September 7, 2013
This article is brilliant. I sent it to so many people when it was first published because it’s the first time I’ve seen it explained so well (but WP kept eating my comments so I couldn’t reply).
I’ve had issues with fatigue all my life. My parents fought hard with my schools – especially secondary – to try to make them recognise just how much I was being disabled by the environment I had to operate in and how much harder I had to work to keep up. I don’t sound deaf so it is very easy for people to just forget and not keep making an effort.
My fatigue is most strongly linked to auditory processing and I have to carefully manage how much I try to do. I realise now for most of my secondary school life I was simply unable to learn effectively because I was burned out and exhausted all the time. I missed 40% of my GCSE years because I became ill with balance problems which is how my fatigue will manifest if I don’t manage it.
I wish I’d been taught sign language when I was younger as it is much harder for me to learn and use it as an adult so it’s not enough to overcome fatigue. I also wish I’d had palantypy/STTR at school and university as I get 4-6 times more ability to manage spoken information than without it.
One of my main issues is that I can hear very well with hearing aids, but it costs me and I quickly get tired and drained and my auditory memory is appalling. STTR is great in that it reduces how hard I have to strain to hear, supplements what I can hear and gives me a typed auditory memory prompt so the info stays in my brain better. I have just managed to wrangle AtW and get it for work meetings of more than 2 people as well.
I do find sign is more helpful if I’m having 1:1 conversations with people and at an all day conference I went to recently about half my conversations in the social time were using some sign language and there was STTR throughout. I wasn’t completely exhausted at the end of it which was amazing.
Even with STTR for meetings I have to manage my energy levels and choose my roles carefully at work as I can’t do extensive human contact time, I need time where I’m able to switch off my hearing aids and just use a computer or something. I’m lucky in my current job I can do that, manage my own time/energy and my boss understands deafness + fatigue and can recognise when I am struggling and support me to manage that.
I’d like to see deaf and HOH people given much more access to tools which will assist us to access spoken information without getting so fatigued, so sign language offered for all at affordable and sensible levels, things like cued speech being promoted more and a wider awareness of STTR type verbatim captioning services so they become more widespread.
Clara
September 14, 2013
Thank you for an excellent article Ian. Before my hearing loss was detected, my Mother was actually more concerned about the fatigue. She just couldn’t understand how her young, healthy, physically fit daughter could arrive home every evening and just throw herself on the couch for 6 hours before going to bed at 10. 30pm! And the pub comments-so true!!
Since my (moderate) hearing loss was detected, the greatest problem I have in trying to explain the situation to colleagues, etc. is that everyone gets tired!!! Usually I’m told “oh, I was exhausted too!” This must be even worse for deaf children and their parents as young children have not got the language to convey their feelings and it is up to their parents to try to explain their feelings for them. Hence the “overprotective mother” stereotype, which is really just another way of dismissing the needs of the child.
Although, concentration fatigue is real for us as deaf and HOH people, how do we address the issue going forward with those who may not understand our needs? I know many in my workplace presumed I was a diva, looking for special treatment on this issue (“but we’re all tired!!!”). Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Again many thanks for this wonderful article 😉
Kelly
October 23, 2013
Thank you for sharing this…our daughter suddenly lost hearing and is deaf, as of July. Your honest insights help me understand how she is feeling since she is very uncommunicative lately.
Sues
November 6, 2013
Oh my goodness… best blog I have read in…for ever.. I am not deaf…. but am completely = compassionate and love deaf people (sorry – not sure what the apolitically correct way of saying that was)…. I learnt a second language, OH MY GOODNESS how TIRING… it takes up SO MUCH energy, to “listen”…. I just totally and completely identify with the tiredness thing….. thank you – great post…..
Liam
November 11, 2013
As somebody currently studying at university in the UK, I can definitely relate to this. People don’t realise just how tiring it is for a deaf person to concentrate throughout the duration of a one or two hour lecture. It is literally exhausting, and it really does affect your attention span quite dramatically. This is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed because to the average person, this sort of issue doesn’t exist and isn’t factored into consideration.
keth
November 21, 2013
Liam – wait till you get a 3 hour seminar… I have 2 SEE interpreters and a notetaker, have breaks every hour (thanks to a wonderful, understanding tutor who does everything he can to make it easier for me) and I am STILL shattered at the end of it. People just don’t get how totally exhausting it is. I have one of these a week. Last week we were asked, all of us, to prepare a small presentation ourselves to give to the class (individually). I actually almost cheered cos it gave me a break from lipreading when it came to do mine!!! I don’t really have lectures any more but when I did, I was often sitting in the front couple of rows so I could lipread the lecturer – but it leaves you no where to go, if the lecturer is boring as all hell or telling you something you know well you’ve still got to sit there and lipread, cos they know you’re deaf – whereas your hearing classmates at the back can fool around with phones and put their heads down, pretending to be making notes and in reality, fall asleep.. #deafworldproblems (!)
L
January 6, 2014
This is such an important post, Noon. I have failed in trying to explain this phenomenon. Thank you for putting it into words and research.
Terry
January 11, 2014
I am a fully hearing person but with profoundly deaf neighbours. I have very long conversations with them using a mixture of (poor on my part) signing and lipreading. I come away from these conversation quite exhausted – I cannot comprehend how tiring it must be for them – particularly when i forget and turn my head away!
chevslife
January 27, 2015
Thank you for writing about your experience!
razia
April 28, 2015
It’s really interesting hearing about fatigue and concentration my son yasin is 11 I’ve always struggled with getting him up in the morning and sleep after school he seems really tired I’ve recently started giving him orange flavoured fish oil with omega 3 via spoon which strangely he loves this has really helped with his tiredness I hope this helps others
Linda Davidson
July 9, 2015
Thanks for writing about this. I see my deaf daughter get tired. She is in college now and tries to build a schedule limited to 2 lectures a day, its important to learn works best for her so she gets enough breaks. Thanks for raising awareness of this.
Kerry
July 9, 2015
My son is six and is hard of hearing. He is exhausted after school. It’s hard to manage some days. Any recommendations?
Karen
July 10, 2015
I love the term “concentration fatigue”. It definitely describes what I experience when trying to hear at a big event. I’ve found I’ve adapted well to the working world (moderately-severe impairment) but I need my alone time after work for an hour or so. With young kids I don’t really get that much these days and it’s hard to find my down time.
cynthia stone
July 12, 2015
i just came across this article and it explains a lot. my daughter who is 16 is always tired in the afternoon and takes a nap, but that leads to her not sleeping at night. any suggestions
JWH
April 7, 2016
My deaf son is now 22 and a father of a little boy. He was not born deaf but was overdosed on a medication that took his hearing at 22 months of age. He is profoundly deaf. This was something as a mom I was aware of for him his whole life. He went to a deaf oral/aural school. He was identified officially of being deaf at 3 years and 2 months. But his dad and I knew long before then. He would go to school and come home and play and eat dinner and would be asleep by 7 in the evening. He would sleep 12 plus hours. Sometimes he was so tired from listening and working so hard I would take him to school late just so he could sleep. Even as a mom people would dismiss how tired he was and that he was just controlling his father and I. But I knew it was true. Because when he would get sick he would not want his hearing aids he was too tired and too sick to listen. Thank you for writing and sharing. I am going to share this with his wife because sometimes she still doesn’t understand when he just wants to be off the air, so to speak. Thank you for giving words and a voice to a very real problem for children who are deaf. God Bless.
Ettina Kitten
July 3, 2016
What a lot of people don’t seem to realize is that disability can be more about how much effort something takes, rather than simply not being able to do it at all. A friend of mine with CP can walk short distances but tires quickly, so she needs a scooter. And as an autistic person, my sensory issues cause my energy to get drained by things like uncomfortable clothing, noises and flickering lights, which most people don’t even notice.