In 2012, the US-based Massachusetts Hearing Aids for Children Coalition (MassHACC) founded in 2009, had a bill passed into law, to offset the cost of digital hearing-aids to families with children who have hearing issues. Their debating point was that: Children who do not receive early intervention [for deafness] cost schools an additional $420,000 [each] and face overall
Confirming your infant has hearing issues or profound deafness is a big shock, but today’s infants have few limits when early spoken language intervention and hearing devices are accessed. Parents find their infant has hearing difficulties ever-earlier, thanks to public education and the hearing screening tests newborns undergo before leaving hospital. Oral deaf education seeks
Following a major review of audiology services in Ireland that revealed a history of neglect towards essential pediatric hearing services, a national newborn hearing testing programme (UNHS) began in Cork in April 2011. The test, to screen for deafness in newborn babies, enables earlier intervention for family-centered child-language development and a national roll-out of the UNHS
Moving from primary to secondary school is a process all students undergo and can be quite daunting. Transitioning is also a crucial stage in a pre-teen child’s development, as their experiences at the time can significantly impact their later academic and social skills. For parents, the leap from primary to post-primary education can be difficult,
A third-level student recently mailed Sound Advice. They were applying to volunteer in a developing country to further their studies but had some concerns about their hearing, and keeping their aids working. This student did not know where to post their questions or to seek advice, so Sound Advice‘s Caroline Carswell is responding on the
A recent question came in from the childcare sector. How are creche staff taught to manage a child’s hearing-devices (and a sound-field, if relevant)? This is a valid point. Devices like hearing-aids, cochlear implants and sound-fields can really benefit a child ‘picking up’ information in their environment, and to interact with creche staff and other
A strong case for newborn hearing tests is made with a recent study in the Netherlands, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Detection At Birth Gave Better Quality Of Life Children whose hearing issues were found at birth, had a better quality of life aged 3 and 5, than babies tested at
One of Sound Advice’s most-received questions is, “Which system is better for a deaf child to use at creche/school, a (personal) FM system, or a soundfield?” This article, “FM Systems ‘versus’ Soundfields“, from the American Speech-Hearing Association (ASHA), gives great insights into the pros/cons of each. Follow the links below to establish how your child
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