Introductions

All children who receive auditory-verbal therapy services through CSHC are initially fitted with hearing aids. This is the first critical step in the child learning to listen and speak--providing them access to the spoken word through hearing. Each child is provided with aggressive audiological management to ensure the child is benefiting from their hearing aids and is able to maximize the remaining hearing they have. With properly fitted hearing aids, the child is then taught to attach meaning to amplified speech information and subsequently learn to develop spoken language communication.

For some children with limited residual hearing, a cochlear implant may be an option. A cochlear implant provides access to hearing through electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve fibres. The decision of whether a child may benefit from a cochlear implant is based on a number of factors including the child's residual (remaining) hearing, the benefit (or lack of benefit) they receive from their hearing aids, the age of the child, as well as medical, social, and psychosocial factors.