Hearing aid use and early language education for multiple-handicapped children

对配戴助听器的多重残障听力障碍儿童的听觉行为、语言发展和沟通技能进行了调查。1)对54例多重残听障碍儿童进行了随访研究。使用助听器后，有35名儿童的助听器效果为一般或良好。通过对声音或声音的反应以及发声质量或数量的变化来评估效果。9名儿童的听觉行为没有改善，并伴有严重的运动和精神发育迟缓。有10名儿童在适应使用助听器方面有困难，因为他们不喜欢耳朵里有耳模。2)报告了对一名19个月大的儿童使用助听器的两年调整过程。可以给孩子戴上可编程的耳后型助听器，并注意到在使用助听器15个月后，她的听觉行为、沟通技能和语言发展有了一些改善。3)一个8岁的孩子，在6岁时被发现患有严重的听力损失，在她的小学里，她已经能够使用手势和语言与家人和朋友交流。强调指出，在这种情况下，为了能够进行听觉交流，长期、耐心的康复和教育服务以及建立一个包括家长、学校教师和语言治疗师在内的合作小组是必不可少的。

Auditory behaviors, language development, and communication skills were investigated in multiple-handicapped children with hearing impairments, who were fitted with hearing aids. 1) Fifty-four multiple-handicapped children with hearing impairments were evaluated in a follow-up study. Thirty-five children demonstrated fair or good results with the use of hearing aids. The effects were evaluated with the appearance of responses to sounds or voices and changes in the quality or quantity of vocalizations. Nine children, who showed no improvement in their auditory behaviors, had associated severe motor and mental retardation. Ten children had difficulty in the adjustment to the use of hearing aids, because they did not like the presence of earmolds in their ears. 2) A two year process of adjustment in the use of a hearing aid in the case of a 19-month-old child is reported. It became possible to fit the child with a programmable behind-the-ear type of hearing aid, and some improvement in her auditory behavior, communication skills, and language development after 15 months of hearing aid usage was noted. 3) An eight-year-old child, who was found to have severe hearing loss at the age of six years, became able to communicate with her family and friends in her elementary school using gestures and speech. It is emphasized that to enable auditory communication in such a case, long-lasting, patient rehabilitative and educational services, as well as the establishment of a cooperative team, including the parents, school teachers and, speech therapists, are indispensable.