A certified audiologist and lecturer at the University of Education Winneba (UEW), Cyril Mawuli Honu, has advised parents and other adult guardians to practice restraint when reprimanding their children.
“When it comes to babies and children, beating and slapping is what we call trauma. Depending on the severity, trauma could destroy a particular part of the ear. For instance, a slap can get the ear drum perforated, or destroy the arrangements of the three bones in the ear, hence affecting hearing” Mawuli Honu stated.
He stated that children’s brains and hearing are readily harmed by being smacked or given blows to the head.
He continued by saying that these slaps could cause tinnitus and a disturbance of the vestibular system, which would make the person unsteady.
“There are other ways to punish and child such as; time out, naughty corner, and natural consequence. Beating and hitting do not always correct the child but could even toughen the child’ he admonished.
“I was not deaf at birth but as time went by, my father got into alcoholism and he became wicked. So if I acted wrongly, he would lock the door, beat me up and slap me mercilessly. It continued for some time till I woke up one morning with a problem in my ears. My parents took me to the hospital for a check-up on my ears, but I started having challenges with hearing and eventually, I became deaf.”
source: clogtv
