While learning to listen and speak is possible for many children who have hearing loss, there are some children who, for reasons of additional disabilities or other complicating conditions, can learn to listen with technology but may struggle to produce spoken language. What choices should parents and professionals consider when deciding how to best help these children? Below, I’ll discuss two case studies of children in this situation and some factors to consider when planning intervention.
See below for a recording of my May 2016 presentation for Cochlear and the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children/Renwick Centre “Complex and Challenging Cases” [CC]
Long ago, many children with hearing loss received “speech therapy” well into their teen years and beyond. Thanks to newborn hearing screening, early intervention, and great hearing technology, the world is changing! Now, we find ourselves asking, “When is a child with hearing loss ready to graduate from auditory-verbal therapy?” More correctly, because therapy is a family affair, we should really ask, “When is a family ready to graduate from AVT?”
Whether you call it a coil, magnet, or headpiece, here are answers to your questions about the part of the cochlear implant processor that sticks to your head to communicate with the internal part of your device.
Enjoy this recording of my 3/25/2015 webinar for the Cochlear HOPE series, “The Catch-Up Game: Working with Children Who Receive Cochlear Implants Late.” Click CC in the lower right corner for captions.
We know that getting a cochlear implant is not an instant fix. Speech, language, and listening skills do not magically appear after activation, and progress is on everyone’s minds. How does progress happen? How much is enough? How fast? What should we do if things aren’t working out as planned?
Here are some of the questions I hear most frequently regarding students with hearing loss and their education, from preschool to college graduation and beyond!
When you meet someone new, one of the first questions we tend to ask is, “What do you do?” When I tell people that I teach children with hearing loss to listen and speak, it’s a real conversation starter. Here are some of my most frequently asked questions about hearing loss, hearing technology, and Auditory Verbal Therapy. What are yours?
One of the most common questions I hear from parents is, “My child does XYZ. Is this due to the hearing loss?” I’ve heard all kinds of things — from the obvious (having difficulty hearing in noise) to the off-the-wall (preferring a certain food) — attributed to the child’s hearing loss. What drives this, and how can we help parents figure out if it’s a “kid thing” or a “hearing loss thing”?
