Why LOL Is So Important for Your Child to Hear

By Amy Grosnik

In recognition of May Is Better Hearing Month…take time to observe your child’s learning, speech, and hearing abilities.

Incidental learning happens when a child learns through seeing and hearing things around them, without being directly taught. This happens when a child learns new words or sayings by overhearing. A child needs good access to all the speech sounds in both ears, in order to be an effective incidental learner, especially since incidental learning typically happens in background noise and often at a distance. (Akhtar et al. 2001)

Here is an example: You and your child are at home on the couch watching television. You get a phone call from a friend and you walk into another room and ask about her vacation. When you return to the couch, your child looks up and says “What’s a vacation?” Your child is learning this new word by hearing your conversation. The conversation is not directly with the child, yet they are listening to what you are saying and learning new vocabulary.

According to Madell, J. (2016, February), about 90 percent of what kids learn is through incidental learning. Think of all of the new words or phrases that children learn at school, playing with friends, through videos, at the grocery store, or by hearing family member conversations. Social language like “LOL,” “YOLO” and “see ya later” is situational and incidental. Overhearing allows your child to understand what these sayings mean.

What You Can Do

Have your child’s hearing tested to ensure that your child’s hearing is normal.
If your child wears a hearing device:
- Maintain communication with your managing audiologist.
- Consistent hearing device use to increase your child’s opportunity to overhear.
Play games with your child that focus on listening like Simon Says, rhyming games, and answering questions after reading a book.
Make sure your child is hearing and understanding speech in all settings including noisy environments and from a distance.
Listen to their conversations to see if your child is using words that you have not taught them?

Get Your Hearing and Balance Checked … Find an Audiologist Near You!

Amy Grosnik, AuD, is a pediatric audiologist with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and a former member of the Academy’s Public Awareness Committee.