In May, practitioners and families across the United States celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month. Many special needs children have difficulties with hearing, speech or both and struggle to maintain their places with their peers in school. Some may even require separate classrooms with teachers that work with their specific disabilities and help to prepare them for their futures.
The theme for Better Hearing and Speech Month this year is “Communication: The Key to Connection.” Truly, communication is key for special needs students who are often sidelined by lack of funding in public schools or by teachers and therapists who are not familiar with their symptoms and who do not speak up to learn more. Everyone who is involved in the life of a special needs child needs to make it a priority to speak up for the rights of the child, to advocate for them, to listen to their needs and to share their findings with others to educate the rest of the world on the challenges of special education.
The two professionals who have the most to do with Better Hearing and Speech Month are audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Audiologists are best known for the hearing tests that they give to individuals of all ages, but they also diagnose underlying causes of hearing disorders and provide treatments. Speech-language pathologists provide speech therapy to improve the child’s language and communication skills, and some even work with children to help them with swallowing.
Our goal is that all special needs children receive the care and services that they deserve. Contact the offices of Newman Aaronson Vanaman today if you need legal help for a special needs case.