Sports Participation and Nonparticipation in Children With Hearing Loss

Purpose: Given that organized sports have the potential to improve psychosocial outcomes in children with hearing loss, the purpose of this exploratory pilot study is to document factors associated with sports participation and nonparticipation for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Defining the associated factors could lead to identifying strategies to mitigate barriers and improve access to organized sports participation for this population. Method: A 36-item parent survey was created to explore and quantify the sports-related experiences of children with hearing loss and their families. The final survey items focused on caregiver demographic information, child hearing status, hearing technology usage, daily life, physical activity, sports participation, socialization during physical activity, and barriers to physical activity. Results: Caregivers ( N = 100) reported their children were participating in a variety of sports with the greatest participation percentages for basketball, swimming, and soccer. Factors most important to caregivers of children who participated in organized sports included the child's interest in the sport, self-confidence, self-advocacy skills, ability to communicate, and support/inclusion from teammates and coaches. Child disinterest in sports was the primary reason some children did not participate in sports followed by lack of self-confidence and social inclusion, fear of embarrassment, and physical limitations from hearing loss or another disability. The use or nonuse of hearing technology does not appear to impact sports participation for children with hearing loss, but several parents were concerned about the inability to use technology during swimming and with helmets. Conclusions: The results of this exploratory study suggest that child interest, psychosocial factors, and coach/teammate knowledge may impact organized sports participation or nonparticipation. Training programs and information materials may increase and address issues children with hearing loss face when considering participation in organized sports.