How Hearing Loss Affects Language

• Describe how hearing loss affects language and speech development in children

o Hearing loss affects the development of language and speech by limiting the child to auditory access to speech sounds. Without these sounds, the child does not have the ability to gain phonological awareness, meanings of words or sounds and the ability to communicate with their family members verbally. In class we read different articles about different types of hearing loss (conductive, mild to severe, minimal sensorineural etc.). Reading these article and discussing them in class has helped me to achieve this object. Throughout this semester, I was able to gain more knowledge on how each type of hearing loss affects language and speech development in children

by reading articles, watching videos and hearing first hand experiences from other clinicians.

• Identify appropriate methods of assessment and intervention for children with hearing loss who are developing spoken language
o During this semester we learned about many different types of assessments and interventions such as parent intervention, spoken language Intervention and family- centered assessment. Just these three types of interventions and assessments are crucial with conducting therapy to a child with hearing loss. Parents have more time with their child then any therapist every would, so by using the parent intervention technique can drastically help influence their child’s progress in developing spoken language. Spoken language intervention is need for any child that is developing spoken language. It considers what is expect of a child at their hearing age and their chronological age. Family centered assessment helps clinicians to figure out what an everyday routine looks like for a family and what the families’ goals are for their child with hearing loss. This objective was met by learning through PowerPoint’s, observations and textbook readings.

• Analyze data-based research to generate recommendation and relevant information for parents of children with hearing loss
o This objective was met through reading articles and textbook readings. This semester we read various articles about different types of hearing loss, different types of therapy, and the benefits or outcomes of the implantation of a cochlear implant. With this information, I gained more knowledge on how properly generate a recommendation for a treatment plan and therapy for a family who’s child has hearing loss.

• Integrate evidence-based information about children with hearing loss who are developing spoken language with family needs and values
o Through PowerPoint presentations and articles read in this class has helped me reach this objective. In the family- centered assessment lecture, I learned how to observe a family’s daily routine and how to intergrade their needs and values into their child who has hearing loss’ therapy goals and progress. Readings from our textbooks also helped me to learn how to consider the family needs and values into their therapy plan. Parent training was also talked about in class, which brought knowledge on how to incorporate a family into the child’s therapy. Including the family in therapy can help the family achieve their needs and values with their child with hearing loss.

• Recognize personal biases related to spoken language development in children with hearing loss
o During our blog project and watching videos in class has helped this object to be achieved.

In the blog project we had to be careful of personal biases, since we don’t have children with hearing loss or know first hand experience on how to relate to a family with a child with hearing loss. Watching the videos in class, such as Sound and Fury, helped us to understand different viewpoints of a family who has deaf children and hearing children. Reading certain articles and textbook chapters, especially the AVT chapter, can show signs of personal biases as the authors and researchers think a certain type of therapy is better to develop spoken language than

others.

• Identify challenges that children with hearing loss and their families face during the process of spoken language acquisition
o The PowerPoint presentation in class that helped achieve this objective was Counseling Families of Children with Hearing loss.

During this lecture I was able to learn about the different family needs and emotions with parents, grandparents and siblings. Each family member goes through a different coping process, whether that is anger, shame or guilt, but each family member also deals with this with different coping strategies. During this lecture I also learned the hardships that the families may go though as a whole or individually. Besides this lecture, watching Sound and Fury and the interviews with clients also helped to achieve this objective. With both of these examples, I got to listen to families who had first hand experience with their child going through the process of spoken language acquisitions and they stated the problems they faced and got through together.

• Propose and value the understudied areas of inquiry in the field of childhood hearing loss

o This objective was met through reading articles and textbook readings. During our article reading when each of us having to read and interpret articles with different types of hearing loss, I got to learn about areas in childhood hearing loss that are understudied and need more research. For instance, in the article about children with minimal hearing loss, little research was conducted because children with moderate to profound hearing loss is much more prevalent and researched than children with minimal hearing

loss.

• Develop confidence in the student’s ability to interpret childhood hearing loss related information in the future.
o From readings, academic articles, lectures and videos, this objective was achieved. I got to witness and learn so many different scenarios on how to interpret and treat hearing loss. During the observation paper, I got to observe a child and their family. With this observation, it gave me the knowledge on how to treat and how to counsel the families with a child who has hearing loss. It helped me to gain experience on how to interpret what therapy looks like with a child with hearing loss and how it is important to include the family in therapy.