Speech Therapy for Children With Hearing Loss
Children with hearing loss do not have to lose the ability to communicate. Speech therapy can be an effective tool in helping such children. The therapy involves a combination of practices and procedures to help children learn to express themselves and even to use and care for their hearing aids or other equipment.
Environment
Children with hearing loss may wear hearing aids or other devices that amplify sound. Because of this, the environment used in speech therapy must be as quiet as possible. A hearing aid amplifies all sounds, and children with hearing loss can be easily distracted by minor noises such as the buzzing of a heater or the jingling of a noisy pair of earrings. According to speech therapist Christy Marzzacco, "By taking little steps to ensure that there aren't any auditory distractions, it can help a child focus during any kind of therapy."
Speech therapy generally takes place in school or in the child's home, depending on the type of therapy a child receives and the frequency of therapy.
Equipment
Speech therapy can involve helping children learn to use their equipment properly. Young children may be unfamiliar with how a hearing aid functions or may not notice if a piece of equipment stops working well. Speech therapists can help young children learn to use their hearing aids and other auditory processing devices; in doing so, they help children learn to help themselves.
The therapist also works with the parents of the hearing disabled child to help him learn use the equipment and care for it properly. Parents sometimes do not fully understand how the equipment works, or they may feel overwhelmed by all of the accompanying information. A speech therapist can help the parents use the equipment in their own homes and at their own pace.
Therapeutic Techniques
The speech therapist generally will begin a therapeutic program by evaluating the child's current communicative skills. She will perform a series of tests, both medical and task-based, to determine how well the child is able to communicate when therapy begins. The therapist, child and parents can determine a course of action, tailored to the individual child.
Therapy might involve playing games to help a child build skills, counseling to help a child understand communicate more effectively or practice sessions during which the child builds up her communication skills.
Tags: children learn, aids other, hearing aids, hearing aids other, help child, speech therapist, children learn their
