Communication Matters

Children ages 3-5 are considered to be preschool-age. During this time, it is important to lay a strong foundation of language and literacy skills. Early exposure to a variety of language concepts and literacy themes can prepare your child for success in preschool and ensure they have adequate time to master skills that will help them to thrive in kindergarten.

A lisp is one of the most common articulation errors targeted in speech-language therapy. It is a sound substitution or distortion in which the “s” and “z” sounds are produced inefficiently.

Encouraging your child to speak may lead to frustration for both you and your child. The most beneficial and fun ways to work with your child on using words can be during your daily routines. What does your child love to do with you? Singing and rhyming is a unique way to engage children in routines with built-in opportunities for communication.

We shuttle our children from soccer to karate to ballet, adding speech therapy to that agenda can seem overwhelming. However, attending and being on time for your scheduled speech therapy sessions is extremely important for your child to learn and use their new speech and language skills. When you remember what a life changing and necessary skill communicating effectively is, it will be easier to make it a priority! Be sure to schedule the therapy on a day when you can consistently be there at the same time each week. Ask for carpooling help if needed and don’t schedule other appointments during that time. The more sessions that your child misses, the longer he/she will have to attend therapy. If you can’t make it to an office every week for therapy, consider telepractice! Telepractice is a method for receiving speech-language pathology services using a computer or iPad instead of in-office appointments. This can be done from any location and may be a convenient option for your busy family. 

It is true – a child’s first words are typically formed around the age of one. Common first words include names of familiar people, favorite foods or toys, common verbs, ‘yes/no’ and ‘please.’ However, not all children begin using words by their first birthday. There are a couple of things to consider if you or your pediatrician are keeping a watchful eye on your child’s communication skills. By the age of one, your child should have certain skills that will help him/her transition into verbal communication.

For most people, hearing loss occurs very gradually. The process of getting hearing aids, however, is not gradual. You walk into the audiologist's office, and a few minutes later you're hearing! It takes the brain time to get adjusted to the new sounds you'll be hearing through the hearing aids. To make the adjustment process a little easier, start with easy situations and work your way up to more difficult listening environments.

Hearing loss may make conversational speech seem very soft, or may prevent a person from hearing certain speech sounds at all. This is why people with hearing loss often say they can hear people talking, but can’t understand what they’re saying. They may be able to hear some sounds, so they can hear the person’s voice, but the hearing loss is blocking out the sounds that are vital to understanding. Usually, when a person is diagnosed with a hearing loss, hearing aids are recommended. Hearing aids are designed to amplify the sounds that the person needs the most, the sounds that they are unable to hear due to the hearing loss. Unfortunately, hearing aids have limitations and will not restore hearing to normal. Hearing aids are only part of the hearing loss puzzle. The best solution to increase hearing and understanding at the same time is to pair hearing aids with effective communication strategies.

When choosing the technology that goes into a hearing aid, you may think the most important consideration is your hearing loss. Although your degree of hearing loss is a significant factor, your lifestyle is also plays a critical role.

Two people can have exactly the same type and degree of hearing loss, but because they live very different lifestyles, an audiologist may not recommend the exact same hearing aid. When deciding which features, or level of technology, are most appropriate for you, consider these factors:

Presented by Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center & The Hanen Centre

Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center audiologists are highly trained professionals. We have Doctoral and Master’s degrees in audiology and we have devoted our careers to helping you hear better. At CHSC, We believe that life is improved by successful communication. We are dedicated to helping people hear better so they can fully enjoy the people and activities that bring meaning to each day.