Ask the Expert > Speech Development
I understand that babies, both hearing and not, babble. Deaf babies then stop at a certain point due to lack of auditory input. My seven month old baby says dada and mama. Are these sounds he would have made whether or not he was aided? He wears hearing aids right now but we're not so sure what he's really hearing. He had a flat ABR and was diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss. Thank you! - Mrs. C.
Dear Mrs. C,
Your little one’s babbling is the start of language exploration. The next stage is "variegated babbling" which is a combination of other vowels and more of a sing-song modulation of the voice and this emerges when a hearing child is 11 or 12 months old. That might sound like, "Gabadama." But before thinking about when your son might begin this process, you need to consider his "hearing age." When did your little son receive hearing aids? His hearing age begins when he started wearing them on a full-time basis.
Soon your baby should be able to localize to sounds and he can be tested by Visual Reinforcement Audiometric techniques in a sound proof test booth. You might want to talk to your audiologist about scheduling this test both with and without hearing aids. The information will tell you more clearly what he is hearing and especially if he is aware of his own voice. Based on that information, you can discuss the best amplification for your little fellow and consider the next steps in his vocalizing. You certainly have been doing excellent research!
Sincerely,
JTC Audiologist
Will hearing aids AND a personal FM system maximize our 4-month old infant's chances of hearing and learning language/speech? His ENT thinks he may be a good candidate for a cochlear implant because he has a profound hearing loss but in the meantime, we want to do everything we can for him. -Mrs. C
Dear Mrs. C
Your son is only four months old, and he already has hearing aids and an FM system. With hearing aids, he probably is aware of your voice although we're not exactly sure what speech sounds he hears. He may be aware of a murmur that is Mommy talking to him, and as he grows older (around 7 or 8 months old) he might turn when he hears that sound of your voice. But he probably is not easily able to hear individual sounds of speech such as /s/ or /th/. These sounds are very difficult for a person with a profound hearing loss and they carry a lot of meaning in the English language.
His FM system will bring your voice close to his ear no matter where you are standing. The farther away we are from a person, the softer our voices become, so with an FM system, distance no longer becomes a factor in his ability to hear you. Will an FM system provide him with the ability to hear speech sounds that his hearing aids cannot amplify? Probably not but the benefit may be significant.
Play with him every day and have fun together exploring language and sound. You are providing much help for him while considering implantation. Seek guidance from professionals skilled in infant hearing loss and request intervention services immediately. Consult with a CI team about timeframes for surgery. Do exactly what you are doing by seeking advice to help your child early. You can enroll in JTC’s Distance Learning for Parents to receive lessons and activities to help babies develop listening skills and receive personalize suggestions for building language. There is much you can do immediately to encourage language development. Best wishes!
Sincerely,
JTC audiologist
Our son was diagnosed with moderately-severe hearing loss in both ears at age 2. He has been wearing digital hearing aids for six months now, but still he does not have speech. What are the chances that my son's aids are not set correctly? -Mrs. K
Dear Mrs. K,
Your little son was diagnosed with a moderately-severe hearing loss, so with hearing aids he should be aware of most speech sounds. He received hearing aids at two years of age but has been wearing them for only six months. That means his "hearing age" is very young. He probably is aware of your voice without hearing aids, but speech is not clear enough for him to form words. So he is just beginning.
Audiologists always program hearing aids, and for children we usually use the DSL method. Are you going to the audiologist regularly to document your son’s sound and speech awareness? With that information, an audiologist will work be sure aids are programmed correctly. As part of your partnership with the audiologist, ask lots of questions so you can understand what they are doing and why.
Are you doing the Ling Six Sound test with him every morning when he puts on his amplification? By doing this little test, you know that he is aware of the sounds, and if he can repeat them, you know that he has discrimination ability. If your son’s hearing test was accurate and his loss is moderately-severe, he will probably respond to all the sounds, except possibly /s/. Can he say "Dada" and "Mama" meaningfully?
Are you getting speech services to help him discover sound and build language through play? With good hearing aids and speech therapy and his family’s ongoing support, his spoken language will develop like that of a hearing child. You can also enroll in JTC’s Distance Learning for Parents. The lessons will provide many ideas to help you guide him in developing his spoken language. You are his best teacher!
Sincerely,
JTC Audiologist
My child was diagnosed with right ear moderate hearing loss and left ear severe hearing loss due to German measles when I was 3 wks pregnant. He has had hearing aids for 4 months so can he hear like of those with normal hearing? How can I teach him properly on how to listen and talk? He can only say mama and baba. -Mrs. M
Dear Mrs. M,
Good for you for realizing the important role you play in helping your son. Children speak what they hear, so your first concern is for good hearing tests and good amplification for your child. With a moderate hearing loss and good amplification, your child should be developing spoken language. BUT, first he needs to learn to listen. Learning to listen takes time and effort not just for him, but for you, too. You can help your child develop this skill and then develop language and clear speech through many activities at home. If your child is five or under, you can enroll in JTC’s Distance Learning for Parents. The course consists of ten lessons, each of which will give you excellent information and ideas to help your son.
Sincerely,
JTC Audiologist
My nine month old son has been diagnosed with unilateral loss in his right ear. The structures needed to hear did not develop, so there is no chance of hearing in that ear. My reading suggests that right ear loss can lead to more difficulty with the development of speech and language (left brain). Should we use an FM device? -J
Dear J,
You certainly have been doing excellent research about unilateral right ear hearing loss. Audiologists have recommended that a child with a unilateral loss be placed in the front row in school, and recently the use of an FM system has also been suggested. You will want to talk to your audiologist about that as your son grows. You can provide your little fellow with a "language rich" environment by talking, singing, and reading to him right now. You can monitor his speech development through informal checklists and formal evaluations to be sure his language remains age appropriate. By monitoring his progress, you and the professionals working with you can make decisions about how to give him the support he needs to succeed.
Sincerely,
JTC Audiologist
My child has been in a school for hearing impaired for more than a year and shows great improvement in terms of written exercises but has much difficulty in terms of oral speech. One factor I'm considering is the level of his deafness since I think he is not benefiting much from hearing aids. Can you give us guides or example of lessons on how to teach my child easier ways to pronounce the sounds. -Mrs. C
Dear Mrs. C,
If your son is between two and five years of age, John Tracy Clinic’s Distance Learning for Parents will give you many ideas to help your son develop spoken language skills. The course is free of charge, and you can go through our website to enroll. If he is over six years of age, you can work closely with his teachers and speech therapists to aid him in developing language and learning each subject.
Children speak what they hear, and if his hearing aids do not provide him with an awareness of voice, it is difficult for him to learn to speak. A cochlear implant could give him an awareness of all speech sounds. You might want to talk to your child's audiologist about this device because there are many considerations the doctors can explain about who will benefit from an implant. We are glad school is going well!
Sincerely,
JTC Audiologist
