Frequently Asked Questions
From AG Bell website
What are the first signs that parents
should look for when they are suspicious of a hearing loss?
Unless a family has reason to expect the possibility of a hearing
loss, some of the early signs may be missed. Sometimes, hoping
that suspicions are not true, parents wait before having their
baby's hearing checked. However, it's important to test the
child's hearing as soon as you suspect that there may be a
problem. If
there is a hearing loss, it can be assessed and when appropriate,
the baby can be fitted with hearing aids. You should be concerned
if you notice that:
- Your infant does not startle to loud or
sudden noises, or turn toward sound.
- By 8 months, the baby
is not cooing, babbling, or laughing.
- By 12 months, the
child is not trying to imitate sounds and actions in
turn-taking
games or is not understanding
simple commands.
What are the effects of newborn
screening? Is this a diagnosis? If a baby passes the screening,
is everything okay? If they fail, are they deaf or hard of
hearing?
The screening is a simple test done by an audiologist
which takes only a few minutes to perform. It is
not a comprehensive
testing of hearing.
Its
purpose
is to identify babies that need further testing to determine
the presence of a hearing loss. If a baby does
not pass the
screening test, more
thorough hearing
testing is normally done before a diagnosis is made. It
is important for parents to realize that in screening,
there can be "false positives." Screenings
are not comprehensive. A baby may fail the screening, but
follow-up testing can indicate no hearing loss.
On the other hand, a baby
may pass the screening,
yet
in time, a hearing loss may be identified.
How should you
approach your child's first days of wearing hearing
aids? What should you
do when problems
arise?
- Be positive, happy, and firm. Your child
will take his or her cues from you. At first, placing
in your child's
ear
is going to be strange
for
you and
your child, and you may feel fear or frustration yourself.
Do not to share these feelings
with your child - focus on the good that will come
from the hearing aid.
- Children often accept the earmolds willingly
after continued use. It helps to make sure that
the child is rewarded
by experiencing
sound as
the aid
is applied,
so be sure to talk with your child as you do
it. If a child pulls out the earmold, you need to calmly
yet firmly replace
it. Start
using the
hearing
aids at a time
when you know that your audiologist or therapist
will
be available to take calls and offer help if
you
need it.
- Many parents find that it helps to keep a diary of
the child's reactions to sound, in order to document
the
benefit the
child gets from the
hearing aids.
How
long will it be before you can expect to see results from intensive
educational and speech training? How long until a child
begins to talk?
In a good listening therapy setting, progress should be obvious
to parents in the first 6 months. Learning to listen with the
child's available residual hearing is a slow and steady process.
Children develop a great deal of "speech" before
they utter their first words. When a child begins to listen
and make
sense of what he or she is hearing, speech usually follows.
As the parent, it's valuable to keep talking, joking, singing
and
providing other auditory stimulation.
Why is it easier to understand
some children who are deaf or hard of hearing and not others?
Usually the speech of children with hearing loss who are
making good use of their auditory potential are easier to
understand.
This is because good listening helps the child hear his or
her own speech, as well as helping him or her pick up on
the natural
rhythm and inflection of normal speech patterns. This is
one major reason that early listening and speech intervention
is
important for a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. How
do you establish the foundation for reading?
How do we teach
children
with hearing loss phrases that are idioms and "plays on
words"?
Reading is a challenge for children who are deaf or hard
of hearing. It involves vocabulary, language structures,
and concepts, which
are not easy for them to comprehend in the same way that
children with normal hearing do. However, children with
hearing loss can
become excellent readers. Studies have shown that skills
in understanding, speaking, and writing in complex language
have a direct relationship
with reading success. Do not simplify language and vocabulary
when speaking with a child who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Use idioms as they occur to you and explain them as you
would to
any child. You can help a child who is deaf or hard of
hearing develop reading and writing skills by making them
part of
everyday experiences, and have them use trip books and
diaries.
What role
will parents play in the education of their child who
are deaf or hard of hearing?
Parents or guardians must become educated about different
communication options in order to make their own informed
decision for a child
with hearing loss and their family. Once parents decide
to choose their preferred option, they can and should
expect support from
teachers and therapists. If you are a parent of a child
with
hearing loss, you will quickly become adept in the skills
and techniques that work with your child, and become
the expert of
what's best for him or her. You will become the main
advocate for your child. The Individuals with Disabilities
Education
Act of 1997 (IDEA '97: PL 105-17) is very clear on the
role and rights
of parents in the life of their child.
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