Deaf people are trying to concentrate all the time - lipreading, signing, listening and communicating with other people. I rely on lipreading and listening to speech through my cochlear mini mic. Because I am trying to get all the information in my head, making sure I don’t miss anything out, it puts a real strain on my brain because I am focusing so hard to follow and understand what people are saying.
This is me after a long day of lipreading, exhausted
When I leave an event, networking or large group meetings, I become exhausted and completely switch everything off and have to take a break for the rest of the day because my brain has been working so hard. I have two young children and I need to keep my energy for them.
I am a mum of two kids, eight and five years old. I have to constantly lipread my children, taking them to various clubs and also lipread teachers, coaches and other parents too.
When I wake up about 6am I start lipreading and concentrate all day and then at 8pm I get so tired and need to be in bed around 8.30pm. If I have evening events, I don’t join any events during the day, I will work quietly on my own instead.
I have to do what works best for me as a deaf person running a business.
It’s hard running a business and it can be exhausting. Having concentration fatigue on top is so tough. I don’t want to sound negative, just giving you an idea of what it’s like being deaf and how you can help us. Like I’ve always said, I love sharing my journey of being deaf and what we go through daily. Sharing my experience will help you become more aware and able to fully support people who are deaf.
If you are organising an event or a meeting, how can you help?
Making events accessible for deaf and hard of hearing people
If you have deaf people joining your event, please ask them what support they need. For example, I went to two events recently - The Mum Brunch Club and In-Person networking with Glasgow Girls Club Business. Both had asked how they could help, and I told them I would need to sit at the front so I could lipread. When I arrived, they kept a spot for me. I always like to discuss things before the event because if I didn’t ask or the event organiser didn’t ask me what I needed, I would be really nervous and either cancel or get really stressed about it. It’s key to get to know the person because it’s your event, and it’s important for you to be accessible to all.
The more accessible you are, the more people will join and your brand or business will gain a great reputation. It is a lot to learn but that’s what I am here for, to help and support you get it right. Check out my services, I offer 1:1 Consultation or deaf awareness training.
Exhausted after travelling, going to events and lipreading
Travelling
I love to travel but it’s exhausting for me sometimes because I can’t hear the public address systems. I need to look at the screens constantly, checking my phone and lipreading people. When I reach my destination, I always switch off and relax or take a nap or have a coffee at the bar. I need a few hours of quiet space to rest my brain before it has to work hard again.
Do deaf children get concentration fatigue?
Yes, they do, especially when they get older. Deaf children have to pay much more attention than hearing children. They need to listen to the teacher, lipread and communicate with them and also with their friends when playing. It can be difficult when the class is noisy, or people are talking over each other. They find it difficult to determine who is speaking and turn to the person to lipread and when they do find out who it is, they miss the first part and concentrate hard to catch up on what they are talking about.
You will find children coming home absolutely exhausted because it is a long day for their brain, and they have to work twice as hard to learn in school. My son is deaf and 8 years old and I find it gets harder each year because the more advanced the work gets, the more he needs to concentrate really hard to follow and understand.
In this blog I thought I‘d give you some tips from my son’s and my experience of having concentration fatigue.
Tip number one
When your child wakes up in the morning, give them quiet time having their breakfast because once they get to school, their brain starts working hard.
Tip number two
When your child gets home from school, don’t question them too much. Give them their own space and ask what they need. When my son gets home, the first thing he does is go outside on his go-kart and gets some fresh air. This works for him. Once he is ready, he will then come back in and have a chat with me.
Tip number three
Remember that deaf children have to concentrate more than hearing children to understand what the teacher is saying and follow what is going on in the classroom. They are more exhausted coming home and homework can be really difficult for them. If your child is struggling to do their homework, speak to the teacher about how you can all adjust to help your child. I spoke to my son’s teacher, and she says that we shouldn’t worry. He is learning so much in school and does what he can. I have a routine and when it comes to reading, we read a couple of pages together each night.
Tip number four
After school clubs can be exhausting. I have put my son into after school clubs, but he has struggled because of the lack of deaf awareness. I’ve had to sign up for trials to make sure he likes them and is comfortable. He loves his Boys’ Brigade. His friends from school go there too and he feels comfortable and content. He also loves the classes at David Lloyd Club, especially tennis. I have left the tennis till the end of the week because I want him to enjoy it. When he gets concentration fatigue it can be hard for him to have the energy to go out again after school and listen to instructions. His Boys’ Brigade is in the middle of the week and then the tennis classes are on Friday evenings which is enough for him. Listen to your child. Remember most of the time it’s tiredness they struggle with, not refusing to go because they don’t want to.
Tip number five
Talk about their emotions and feelings because it can be hard for them to tell you how they feel when they are exhausted or frustrated. I have FeeliT! cards from Happy Confident Club and it’s a really effective way to communicate with my child. It’s great for ALL children, not just deaf children. They also have journals which I love because it’s important for your child to write their feelings down instead of just more talking and listening. Check out their online store.
I hope this helps you to understand how deaf adults and children suffer from concentration fatigue.
I will be sharing a lot more content on my Instagram and so many changes will be happening in 2023 for me and my business Deaf Impact.
Comments