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Hearing Tests
Audiologists use a number of different tests to help determine the type and amount of your child’s hearing loss. Often, hearing aids will be recommended. Depending on the amount or degree of your child’s hearing loss, cochlear implants may also be discussed. You will also be referred to the early intervention program in your area.
Hearing Aids/Cochlear Implants
Early detection of hearing loss and early use of hearing aids or cochlear implants are critical for the development of speech, language, and communication skills in children with hearing loss. In fact, infants identified with a hearing loss by 6 months of age who received a hearing aid or cochlear implant and habilitation services have been shown years later to have language skills similar to those of children of the same age who have normal hearing.
Early Intervention Services
Hearing loss can have a major impact on a child’s development, so early intervention services are critical. The services provided will depend on each child’s individual needs and the wishes of the family. Usually, these services are provided in the home or in the location where your child spends most of his or her waking hours.
The type of communication method you decide to use with your child guides the early intervention plan. A variety of communication methods are available. You should select a method based on your needs and the needs of your child. Communication methods include the following:
Listening and spoken language (also referred to as auditory-verbal or auditory-oral): The infant or young child is fitted with hearing assistive devices. The child is then exposed to the language of the home through listening and talking, leading to spoken language in the home and school, and among peers.
Cued speech or cued language: This method utilizes specific hand shapes and placements around the face to clarify the ambiguity of lipreading.
American Sign Language (ASL): The infant or young child is exposed to language through vision, which leads to signed language in the home and school, and among peers. ASL’s grammatical structure is different from that of spoken English.