Speech Therapy for the Hearing Impaired

Hearing is conversely associated with speech intherapist can build a train with blocks and say
that initial communication and hence understanding,oo-oo or oo---, as the train is being pushed on the
arises primarily from learning spoken languagetable. For older infants, they can look at books,
through listening and building up symbolic thinkingmaking similar sounds for the pictures.
processes. This is why speech therapy is a must6.Developing Auditory Discrimination and
for people with hearing impairment.Short-Term Memory
1.Developing Auditory AwarenessActivities include teaching discrimination of noise
Auditory awareness is the ability to be consciousmakers in audition and incorporation of phonemes
of the fact that sound is present. During thisinto words in use.
period, the child is to learn to wear appropriate7.Developing Auditory Processing
amplification. Therapy involves playing with toysAuditory processing is the ability to associate
that make sounds and listening to music.sounds with memories of past events. Activities
2.Developing Auditory Attention or Listeninginclude naming of abstract ideas like sadness and
Auditory attention is the ability to give some realjoy. The therapist also starts to teach the child to
notice or interest to the sound that is heard.call the names of the people that he has constant
The clinician focuses the child's attention to thecontact with.
sound by saying two or three times: Listen, I hear8.Developing Auditory Processing of Patterns and
something. What is that? The clinician pats hisAuditory Memory Span
ears, but does not show the source of the soundActivities for the child's audition include testing the
until the child is listening. The clinician rewards thechild's recognition of words and testing of auditory
child's attention by showing the source of thememory span. Auditory memory span is the
sound.ability of the child to remember in sequence the
3.Developing Auditory Localization and Distancethings that he has heard. An example would be
Hearingthe sequence of the instructions that the therapist
Auditory localization is the ability to recognize thegave to him.
direction from which the sound is coming from.9.Developing Auditory Figure-Ground Discrimination
Distance hearing, on the other hand, is the abilityAuditory figure-ground discrimination is the ability
to hear the sound even from afar.to choose among the sounds that are present in
The therapist shows the child how to respondthe environment and to focus on that one sound
whenever he hears a sound. Some of thealone without being distracted by the rest of the
activities are opening the door when someonesurrounding sounds.
knocks, dancing to music, clapping to music,Activities for the child's auditory skills include
building blocks when a sound is heard, marching toclapping or dancing to different rhythms, learning
a drum and picking the phone up when it rings.to count from one to ten, saying the alphabets,
4.Developing Vocal Playdays of the week, nursery rhymes, holiday songs,
Vocal play is the ability to use the speechprayers, his own address or telephone number,
structures to produce various sounds that are notand also remembering two or three directions at
necessarily meaningful but are sound productionsa time.
nonetheless. This stage requires making lots of10.Auditory Tracking
sounds when playing with toys, especially animalAuditory tracking is the act of listening closely to
and vehicle noises: growl for the teddy bear,a material to be able to follow what is being
meow for the cat, or click tongue for the horse.stated in the said material. Auditory tracking using
5.Developing Auditory Discriminationa tape recorder is included in the activities. Also
Auditory discrimination is the ability to identify oneincluded are reading aloud, practicing using the
sound from another. Activities include reviewingtelephone, listening for information and using
vowel sounds and varying pitch, loudness andinternal repetition.
rhythm: oo--- vs. oo-oo. For example, the