Parents working with babies and children whose cochlear implants are newly activated, need to label particular noises with the children and emphasise listening skills to start recognising everyday sounds. One Arizona-based audiologist has devised a game for this listening-and-talking process:
Read: Audiologist game to boost kids’ listening skills
Talk To Newborns With Hearing-Aids
Jacque Scholl notes, “The early years [is] when kids need to start listening actively [before it interferes with other development]. These are things a lot of parents start doing early, even talking to newborns [with hearing-aids].”
Childcare Staff Are Language Teachers, Too
When parents work, creche staff and childcare managers are the childrens’ direct-language teachers. Staff at early-years centres need reminding to remember to practice childrens’ cognitive language and social-emotional skills development as a child learns fine-motor and other milestone-skills.
One-To-One Contact For Language Learning
Scholl emphasizes that families teach [all] children listening and talking skills through interpersonal contact. This point is valid, with many parents giving young children access to tablet devices “for educational value”. However, researchers in the US suggest limiting tablet-time to one hour, daily.
Dr. Dimitri Christakis at the Seattle Childrens’ Centre says, “The single most important thing for children is time with parents and caregivers. Nothing is more important in terms of social development. If time with the tablet comes at the expense of that [personal interaction-time], that’s not good.”
More Reading
- BabyTalk via iPad for infants with cochlear implants
- “Buddy Ears” App Boosts Kids’ Implant Listening
- Talk To Your Baby For A Solid Early-Learning Basis
- Early Interaction With Babies For Communication
- Parents’ Essential Role In Language Development
- Childcare Managers’ Vital Role In Kids’ Language Skills
- Creche Staff And Parents Build Childrens’ Talking Skills
- Parent Query – Apps To Record A Child’s Voice
- New Words-App For Children With Hearing Issues
- Apps For Son’s Language Development (Part 1)
- Apps For Son’s Language Development (Part 2)
- Classroom Technology ‘Has The Children Talking’
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