Pratibha's Advice to Parents of Children with Hearing Loss
You have just been told that your child has a hearing loss and it is severe enough that your child needs hearing aids or a cochlear implant. Or, may be, your child has just received hearing aids or cochlear implant and you are in the early stages of therapy.
At this point, your head is probably buzzing with all kinds of information you have been given within a very short time. Your mind might be dealing with many competing emotions. You feel you have to do a hundred different things at the same time, and you are confused about where to start and what to do next.
It is not unusual for families to feel this way. So what should you do? You need the following three factors to help you take decisive action:
* Clarity: You need to focus on the key pieces of information that will allow you get started. You can get additional information as and when necessary.
* Mindset: You need to understand that you will be able to do this as parents, and thus go forward with a positive mindset.
* Guidance: One step at a time! You will need guidance as you take each step; your team of professionals (audiologist, therapist, educator) is there just for this reason.
In the following free videos, Pratibha strives to offer you clarity by decluttering the information, inspiration for a can-do mindset, and some simple guidance to get you started.
HEAR, LISTEN, TALK!
Step-By-Step
Lessons*
*(that parents can do!)
As parents, your best option is to work under the direct guidance of a qualified Listening and Spoken Language therapist, preferable a LSLS-Certified therapist or educator.
However, this ideal option is not available to everyone. In developing countries, unless they live in a major city, most families do not have access to therapists qualified and experienced in this specialty area. Even in the developed countries, including the U.S., families who live in remote or rural areas do not have ready access to appropriate LSL therapy.
While families explore their options and try to get help, their child is losing a crucial period in their listening and language development years.
Time is of the essence, because:
- The brain’s capacity to learn decreases with time.
- If the child is not taught to attach meaning to sounds, they will start to ignore sounds.
- The child may start to develop bad communication habits (e.g., pulling on your hand to get your attention) which can be difficult to unlearn.
- It’s best to avoid delays, because catching up is a slower and harder process.
Which is why we are developing these step-by-step, easy-to-understand-and-do lessons, designed specifically for parents.
These lessons can be useful for parents who don’t have sufficient access to qualified therapists, or parents who would like to supplement their current therapy with parent-led activities at home.
The Hear, Listen, Talk! Step-by-Step Lesson Series will contain over 100 videos, arranged in a stepwise manner. Each lesson will be a hands-on demonstration of a technique. Along the way, parents will be given any conceptual knowledge they require to put these techniques into practice.
We expect these lessons to be ready by the end of 2022 and be available as a fee-based subscription. Watch this space for updates!