I Can’t Hear Like You (Talking it Through)

Tom, who is a young deaf boy, narrates his story. He tells the reader how he wears a hearing aid to help his limited hearing. He also lip reads and is learning sign language. He signs to communicate with his friend David, who is profoundly deaf and can’t use a hearing aid. The book includes descriptions and illustrations of cochlear implants and radio transmitters. Tom talks about some of the negative experiences he has had, including being teased about his condition and how he had to make new friends, how his hearing aid can sometimes cause interference from computer equipment and how he sometimes misses what the teacher is saying. Tom explains that he used to be frightened at night in the dark and silence with his hearing aid switched off, but he has learnt to like it (and he isn’t disturbed by his baby brother!) Tom describes his visits to the hearing clinic where he is assessed and fitted for new ear moulds. His gran, who also wears a hearing aid, explains that sometimes people can be impatient and unkind when you can’t hear them. Tom mentions how helpful his friends can be by explaining things he has missed because of his deafness.