Around 98% of babies in the United States underwent a hearing loss screening in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But unfortunately, they discovered that over 6,000 American newborns have permanent hearing loss.
So, when parents know that their child is hearing impaired, they first want to know if the child will be able to communicate with others and develop a full range of language skills. Auditory speech therapy is the answer to that and is a very effective way of helping children with hearing impairment learn how to listen and speak. This article will examine some benefits of auditory speech therapy for deaf or hard-of-hearing children.
Helps to Restore Speech
For children with hearing impairment, speech is a complex skill. It takes time and practice to develop this skill. Speech therapy can help to improve speech by teaching the child to understand words and sentences. It also allows the child to use their voice correctly, so they don’t strain their vocal cords or use an incorrect pitch if they talk.
As children progress in their understanding of language, they may also learn how to read lips or other cues that help them understand what someone else is saying. The goal is for them to communicate throughout daily life by talking with others at home or in school.
Get to the best auditory speech therapist for your child in your preferred location. Suppose you are a resident of Atlanta, GA. Then look for a therapist nearby. You can ask the locals or even use the internet to search for auditory speech therapy in Atlanta, GA. Again, online reviews can guide you in choosing the best consultant for your child.
Communication Skills Development
A hearing-impaired child may have difficulty communicating with others because of the loss or impairment of hearing. For example, some children may hear and understand speech perfectly but still have trouble producing words enough for another person to comprehend them. As a result, it can make it difficult for people trying to communicate with them. In addition, it can cause stress for the child in question.
Auditory speech therapy has been shown to help restore speech and develop communication, language, listening, and vocabulary skills. It also helps improve essential pronunciation skills. The treatment also helps children who struggle with attention spans and concentration. They use techniques such as repeating sounds back until they’re perfect. It enables the child as it doesn’t make them feel overwhelmed by all this new information.
Promotes Performance and Learning
Children with hearing impairment have difficulty listening to stories, songs, and poems because they may not be able to hear the words. Therefore, they must learn how to listen correctly from an early age. Listening is one of the essential skills for any child because it enables them to absorb information from their surroundings.
A child with normal hearing will use all his senses like sight, smell and touch when listening. But a child diagnosed with hearing impairment may only use one or two senses simultaneously.
Auditory speech therapy will help them improve their single-sensory and cross-sensory listening abilities. So they can better understand what’s being said around them by using more than just one sense at any given time. In addition, it helps children process information faster than average.
Develops Language Skills
The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reports that 7.7% of American children aged 3 to 17 have had language, voice, and speech impairments. Therefore, one of the essential benefits of auditory speech therapy is that it helps to develop a child’s language skills. In this sense, auditory speech therapy helps to improve and enhance communication between people with hearing impairment and those without.
Auditory speech therapy also helps to develop speech skills in hard-of-hearing children by allowing them to listen to their voices and learn how they should sound when speaking.
Another benefit you can reap from having your child undergo auditory training is that it will help them improve his listening skills. As we age, we tend to lose our ability to listen carefully so as not to miss any details said by someone else around us. It could be due to many factors such as stress at work or home life, among others. But, with a proper Auditory Training program for hard-of-hearing kids, parents don’t have to worry about their kids being unable to pick up details anymore.
Develops Listening Skills
Listening skills are crucial to language development. A child who can’t hear well is at a disadvantage when learning new words and concepts, so they must rely on other senses to compensate. Listening skills also play a role in social interaction. It’s hard for anyone to have a decent conversation if they aren’t paying attention.
In addition, listening helps children understand instructions, and instructions help them learn new things. For example, if you want your child to clean their room without being told every step of the way and getting frustrated, then you need them to be able to listen.
Building Vocabulary
It is a great way to help build vocabulary and develop communication skills. It can also improve verbal, language, and auditory processing skills. For example, it allows children to hear what they are saying and pay attention when others talk so they can repeat what was said.
The speech therapist will first introduce new words into their vocabulary before asking them to use them in sentences or questions to practice answering appropriately. This method is based on what was just said. They may also have you say something like “apple” repeatedly but with a different inflection. Your child can recognize when you are talking about an apple versus oranges. So, it helps them expand their understanding beyond just hearing single words repeated back at them.
Developing Pronunciation Skills
Once your child has been diagnosed, you will know that improving pronunciation is one of the most critical aspects of communication. While many hearing impaired children cannot hear themselves speak, they can benefit immensely from auditory speech therapy. This therapy helps your child pronounce words more appropriately by emphasizing clarity and accuracy.
As you can imagine, this can make life much easier for your child and their family members who have to spend time with them daily. If you want your child to become better at pronouncing words, then try these tips:
- Make sure they use their diaphragm when speaking instead of just their vocal cords.
- Teach them how to enunciate correctly so that all sounds are clear and easy to understand.
Auditory Speech Therapy Is Key
Auditory speech therapy is key to developing and restoring speech. It helps to build communication skills in children with a hearing impairment and promotes performance and learning processes. It also encourages to development of language skills and other listening skills. Auditory speech therapy also builds vocabulary and develops pronunciation skills. These promote activities that facilitate communication with others through both verbal and non-verbal means.
You must be logged in to post a comment.