Benefits of speech & language therapy for hearing impaired children

Abstract

Although the need for speech and language therapy is widely recognized for children who are hearing impaired, there is little research evidence for improved outcomes after specific speech and language therapy interventions. With improvements in hearing aid and cochlear implant technology, and consequently improved access to the speech signal, there has been greater emphasis on listening-based therapies. The most widely used therapy is referred to as “auditory-verbal therapy” (AVT). This approach is endorsed by the Alexander Graham Bell Association, but there is paucity of research evidence for AVT effectiveness (Rhoades, 1982; Goldberg & Flexer, 1993; Wray et al., 1997; Rhoades & Chisholm, 2000). Previous studies have focused on psychosocial and educational outcomes of AVT, rather than measuring specific speech and language outcomes. The current study investigates speech and language, speech perception in noise and reading abilities before and after a 6-month period of weekly AVT with an experienced Certified Auditory-Verbal and Speech-language Therapist. Participants are eight children aged 5 to 17 years with moderate-profound sensorineural hearing loss using cochlear implants (CI) and/or hearing aids.