Speech Therapy -> Hearing

Hearing

The type of therapy for individuals with hearing loss will differ greatly depending on the type and severity of hearing loss, the age of onset, and the age at which compensatory modes of communication were introduced. Although the therapy is conducted by a Speech Therapist, the patient and therapist may not always be using speech to communicate. Areas of focus in aural hab/rehab may include training in auditory perception and visual cues, improving speech, developing language, managing communication, and the management of devices that aid in hearing.

Minor focus areas

Skilled interventions

  • Auditory Perception Techniques

    Auditory perception techniques are used by the SLP to increase awareness of sound and then expand the patient’s vocal repertoire. This involves providing auditory stimulation to the patient that is meaningful and appropriate to facilitate vocal moving towards verbal communication. Principles and techniques can be used at the onset of a baby’s amplification throughout the stages of speech/language development.

    Listening Skills: Meaningful auditory stimulation where the patient introduced and reinforced with sounds. Such as playing with rattles or saucepans so that the patient enjoys the experience rather then being trained to respond each time he hears a drum or whistle.
    Listening & Vocalizing: Talking with the patient and then waiting for vocalization, beginnings of vocal games.
    Listening to Language: Wave “bye-bye”, songs and rhymes.
    Vocal communication: This is a precursor to verbal communication and includes accepting “uh” and “up” and expressions such as “uh oh” and “ow”.
    Vocal to Verbal communication: Accepting the patient’s word approximation as long as it has something in common with the adult form. For example “oo” would be an approximation for “shoe” or “juice”, whereas “eh” or “uh” would not. Phrases such as “all-gone” should be taught as a unit.

    (Ling & Ling, 1978)

  • Auditory Processing Training

    This training helps individuals better understand and respond to auditory information. Activities include listening exercises, sound discrimination tasks, and following multi-step auditory directions to improve auditory processing skills.

  • Sound-Object Association Technique

    Sound-object association technique is used by an SLP with patients who are using hearing prostheses that facilitates listening to sounds. This is also referred to as “learning to listen” sounds. Patients must first become familiar with frequently heard sounds before they understand and start to speak words. Session are centered on play an auditory-verbal strategies that are used with sound-object association activities. More information can be found at www.listen-up.org.

    The Ling-6 Sound test and cards is another type of sound-object association technique. Learning to listen sounds includes but are not limited to the following:
    1. aaaaaaaah (airplane)
    2. buhbuhbuhbuhbuh (bus)
    3. brrrrrrrrr (car)
    4. ptptptptptptp (boat)
    5. chchchchchchchch (train)
    6. moooooooo (cow)
    7. woofwoof or arfarf or ruffruff (dog)
    8. ssssssss (snake)
    9. quack quack (duck)
    10. hop hop hop (rabbit)
    11. mmmmmmm (as in “mmmm, it’s good!”)
    12. shhhhhhhhhh (quiet)
    13. smacking your lips (kiss)
    14. t-t-t-t-t-t (clock)

    (Harding, 1983; Norris & Hoffman, 1994)

  • Total Communication Approach

    Total communication approach places emphasis on language through all available modalities in order to provide language learning. The SLP uses formalized visual communication systems such as cued speech or sign language are used along with interventions targeting listening and verbal communication (Holcomb, 1973).

Reference links

  • Effects of Parents' Mealtime Conversation Techniques For Preschool Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Listening and Spoken Language 2
    pubs.asha.org     Author: Elaine R. Smolen, Ye Wang, Maria C. Hartman, and Young-Sun Lee - Parents of preschoolers with hearing loss may benefit from specific coaching to elicit language and introduce new vocabulary during home routines. These techniques may help develop their children's receptive language.
  • Child Aural/Audiologic Rehabilitation 1
    www.asha.org     Author: The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association - Often with children, aural rehabilitation services would more appropriately be called "habilitative" rather than "rehabilitative." "Rehabilitation" focuses on restoring a skill that is lost. In children, a skill may not be there in the first place, so it has to be taught -- hence, the services would be "habilitative," not "rehabilitative."
  • Efficacy of Auditory-Verbal Therapy In Children With Hearing Impairment: A Systematic Review From 1993 to 2015 2
    www.sciencedirect.com     Author: Ramesh Kaipa and Michelle L. Danser - This systematic review investigates the effects of auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) on receptive and expressive language development, auditory and speech perception, and "mainstreaming" in children, 2-months-old to 17-years-old, with hearing loss.
  • Engaging and Fun Speech Activities We Use At Home For Babies, Toddlers and Children 1
    www.hearinglikeme.com     Author: Melissa Hyder - An article reviewing Learning Strategies and play-based activities for parents to use at home with babies, toddlers, and children with hearing loss.
  • Bilingual Service Delivery 1
    www.asha.org     Author: ASHA - Information and resources regarding bilingual service delivery by SLPs (from ASHA)
  • Your Child’s Early Development is a Journey 1
    www.cdc.gov     Author: Centers For Disease Control and Prevention - Skills such as taking the first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. Click on the age of your child to see the milestones:
  • Bilingual (Spanish/English) Evaluation Resources 1
    bilinguistics.com     Author: Bilinguistics - Dozens of speech, language, fluency, and other evaluation resources for bilingual evaluations
  • Milestone Moments 1
    www.cdc.gov     Author: Centers For Disease Control and Prevention - These developmental milestones show what most children (75% or more) can do by each age. Subject matter experts selected these milestones based on available data and expert consensus.

Activity List(s)

Visual Schedule Cards

Related Disorder(s)

  • Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) - Auditory processing disorder (APD) is a hearing problem that affects about 3%–5% of school-aged children. Kids with this condition, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), can't understand what they hear in the same way other kids do. This is because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate.

Assessments

Therapists

Therapists who selected this major focus area as their top area of expertise.

  • Virginia Ingram

    Virginia Ingram

    Full-time Therapist Operations Recruiting Management CCC-SLP

    Virginia is a digital strategist, communications specialist, and Speech-Language Pathologist who ...

  • Todd Houston

    Todd Houston

    K. Todd Houston, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT is a Professor of Speech-Language Pathology in the ...

  • Angela Vatrano

    Angela Vatrano

    Full-time Therapist CF-SLP

    I am a new CF currently working in the school setting.

    • Sidekick Therapy Partners Sidekick Therapy Partners