One common question I hear about children who are deaf but listen and speak with the help of hearing technology is, “But what will he do when the cochlear implant [or hearing aid, or Baha] is off?” What about bath time, swimming time, night time? What if a battery dies or equipment malfunctions? Are those reasons enough to learn sign language? Continue reading →
Decades and centuries ago, learning to listen and talk used to be a privilege reserved for the select few — children whose families could afford costly travel, private tutors, the best hearing technology. Today, the reality is vastly different — NO child should EVER be denied a chance at listening, speaking, and a quality education just because of her family’s inability to pay for these services.
In the past month, I’ve had some incredible opportunities to spend time with a group of children I don’t often see — children with typical hearing — teaching them about hearing loss and how better to understand their classmate who is deaf. They’ve taught me a lot about hearing loss from a child’s-eye view and how we as parents and professionals can help all children be more integrated in their environment.
The World Health Organization has designated today, March 3rd, as International Ear Care Day. According to the WHO, approximately 50% of cases of hearing loss worldwide could be avoided through primary prevention techniques.
An audiologist is a professional trained to diagnose and treat non-medical problems of hearing and balance. The entry degree for audiologists is either a clinical doctorate (AuD) or research doctorate (PhD), though audiologists used to be able to practice with a Master’s Degree, so some have been grandfathered in.
Having a hearing loss should not prevent a person from participating in sports and activities with his or her hearing peers. Here are a few tips and tricks to help make your or your child’s athletic experience fun!
Being able to use the telephone represents both independence and connection for people with hearing loss. It means being able to make calls for work without assistance, being able to give and receive information, and being able to make emotional connections with friends and family from miles away. Learning, or re-learning, to use the phone with a CI may be difficult, but it is not an impossible task. With practice, many cochlear implant recipients report success in using the telephone. Here are some ways you can, too!
I want to start this post by saying that BOTH FM Systems and Soundfield Systems can be excellent options for students with hearing loss. Both devices function to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, making the relevant signal (i.e. the teacher’s voice) louder than the noise and distraction (i.e. other children talking, chairs scraping the floor, etc.). There are differences, however.
