Parents learn to be the child's primary source of language. In therapy and at home, the child's communication skills develop in a similar fashion as hearing children. First he child learns vocal play, which is followed by babbling and the production of words, phrases and sentences. Lip-reading is not formally taught, although most children use visual information to supplement what they hear. Sign language and cued speech are not used.
Research shows that ones dependence on visual communication can slow progress in auditory learning.
If a child's attention is saturated with visual information, it is restricted from using sound in a meaningful way. Children expand their skills to include auditory attention, auditory discrimination, feedback, memory and sequencing, and more complex auditory functions used in language comprehension and production. With the guidance of a therapist and devoted parents, the language of the child's community come to life. The hearing-impaired child is enrolled in a play group, preschool or school with normally hearing and speaking children in order to hear and participate in lots of normal conversation . Co. All rights reserved .