I want my child with hearing loss to learn how to talk. I know he needs to wear hearing aids even though he has some hearing. How much does he really need to wear them? Will they make him hear normally?
Hearing aid basics: HEARING AIDS – What, When, Why, How – A quick rundown on hearing aids and family choices.
Instructions for how to perform a hearing aid listening check: A video is now available providing instructions for parents, teachers and early interventionists about how to check and monitor hearing aid function. There is also a written handout that can be printed to have available. Watch the Hearing Aid Listening Check video developed by the National Center for Hearing Assessment & Management. This 13+ minute video takes awhile to load, but has great information for anyone new to working with hearing aids on little ears!
Introduce the needs of your child with hearing loss to your child care provider. Whether it be a child care center, a neighbor or a family member, share the 4-page handout Welcoming the Child with Hearing Loss into Child Care with them.
Cochlear implant basics: Cochlear Implants – What, When, Why, How – A quick rundown on cochlear implants and family choices.
Listening Skill Development: Auditory Skills Checklist – Children with normal hearing learn how to listen and develop their auditory skills as a part of their experiences and growth. Because children with hearing loss do not hear everything (even with hearing aids or cochlear implants) they will not learn auditory skills at the same rate of typically hearing children unless families provide them with auditory experiences. This checklist shows how listening skills develop over time and provides the steps to improve auditory development as your child grows.
Word-by-word language development: Graphs of Typical Vocabulary Development – boys and girls – Language is caught, not taught! It is surprising how quickly young children learn words! This resource shows ‘average’ growth in the number of words a child knows as he or she grows and can be useful for setting the stage for families about the ‘work to be done’ to help their child learn language at a pace similar to children without hearing loss.