Kids

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Learn To Fingerspell

Learn to Fingerspell and the sounds each letter makes with Starfall https://www.starfall.com/h/abcs/sign-abcs/?

Let's Learn Sounds

Reading to your child for 10-15 minutes every day can positively impact their success rate with hearing aids.

Screen time and self-exploration of online resources can drive self motivation.

Amazing resources like Starfall's Let's Learn to Read are perfect for kids hearing new sounds for the first time or relearning speech with hearing aids or cochlear implants.

https://www.starfall.com/h/ltr-classic/?mg=k

Types of Hearing Tests for Pediatrics

Normal Hearing for Pediatrics is 0-15 dB

Slight hearing loss: 16-25 dB

Mild hearing loss: 26-40 dB

Moderate hearing loss: 41-55 dB

Severe hearing loss: 71-90 dB

Profound hearing loss: 90 dB

Pediatric hearing loss refers to hearing difficulties that occur in infancy, childhood, or adolescence and may change over time. Hearing status plays a critical role in early development for most children; identifying hearing loss early helps guide timely care and support. Hearing loss reduces a child’s ability to detect sound in one or both ears and can range from slight to profound. Hearing loss can affect children at every level, from slight to severe, and can affect speech, language, learning, communication, and overall development.

A pediatric test battery is dependent on age and consists of ...

Neonatal Testing

Otoacoustic Emissions and AABR

Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE): A tiny probe goes in the ear canal to measure an echo when sounds are played.

Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR): A screener that consists of soft earphones play sounds while small sticker sensors on the head check brain wave responses.

Pass: The baby likely has normal hearing. No more testing is needed unless risk factors exist.

Refer: Means more testing is needed. This is common and does not mean the baby is deaf; fluid or noise can block results

Follow-up: If a baby does not pass, a full exam must happen before 3 months of age.

6 to 24 months

Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA Testing)

The child is seated with 2 speakers positioned on the left and right sides, producing sound. If the child looks towards the speaker playing a sound, they receive visual reinforcement (such as an image, video, or toy).

Twenty-four to 60 months

Conditioned Play Audiometry

The child is conditioned to perform a task in response to an auditory stimulus, such as placing a ball in a cup. Once the task is learned, the sound volume is reduced in order to determine their hearing threshold.

ABR Testing

ABR testing is in in depth diagnostic tool that places a small sticker sensors go on the head to measure how a child’s inner ear and brain pathways respond to sound while the baby sleeps.

Over 60 months

Pure Tone Audiometry

At 5 years of age, most children can undergo pure tone audiometry. Hearing thresholds are determined by presenting sounds of various frequencies and intensities until the quietest sound is reliably detected 50% of the time. This test requires a higher level of attention and is therefore rarely administered before age 5.

At Home Activities For Aural Rehabilitation

Bond and play while teaching your child new or reinforcing familiar sounds.

Sounds In a Jar:

Fill a small container (unable to see contents inside) with:

Rice
Beans
Sand
Coins
Bells
Pasta

Task - Rank the sound

Arrange jars from:

Quietest → Loudest
Softest → Sharpest

Task - Guessing game

After listening, ask:

"What do you think is inside this jar?"

Matching game

Fill six nontranslucent containers with two matching contents in the jar for a pair. After creating pairs of identical sound jars. Match each jar with its partner.

What can these activities target?

Auditory discrimination – telling whether two sounds are the same or different.

Sound identification – recognizing a specific sound.

Sound localization – if the jars are shaken from different locations.

Auditory memory – remembering a sequence of sounds.

Auditory attention – focusing on sounds despite distractions.

Listening in noise – for more advanced practice. Play with the television in the background. Be patient and build up to this step.

Let's Go Parents !

Cochlear has resources for toddlers, weeks 1-40, broken up into categories such as Audition, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Speech, Songs, Rhymes, and stories. Interactive activities that will keep the whole family engaged.

https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/home/ongoing-care-and-support/rehabilitation-resources/resources-for-babies-and-toddlers/sound-foundation-for-babies

Track Your Childs Progress

Cochlear has amazing resources for parents to use together or separately. If you already have a comfortable plan in place, you can use this printable document to track your child's progress during aural rehabilitation or aural habituation until 48 months. Click the button to the right for a direct link.

Tracking Progress

Listen, Learn and Talk

In addition to the progress tracker, Cochlear has another resource titled Listen, Learn, and Talk. This resource is available for download and covers all aspects of a child's communication. Discussing integrated scales of development, teaching parents how to educate their child to listen to sounds, guiding and encouraging meaningful interactions with your child, to listening level checklists. This resource provides a comprehensive guide for parents looking for a great resource for their child. Click the button to the right for a direct link.

Listen Learn and Talk

Reminders for Parents

Motivating your child is not simply setting goals and providing the resources. Encouragement means setting realistic goals and celebrating all those small moments that can make a big impact.

While you practice aural rehabilitation with your child, practice