STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE LISTENING - HOME AND CLASSROOM

The classroom is an auditory-verbal environment (Flexer, 1994).
Children learn primarily with oral instruction and visual supplements

SPEAKER VARIABLES

Home

Be a good language model; embrace a communication style which will help your child to listen and learn through listening.

  • normal enunciation- don't over-exaggerate, overemphasize, or over-articulate
  • provide clarity of speech- troubleshoot equipment daily
  • speak at a normal rate; a pace too slow or too fast destroys the natural features of speech
  • speak at normal loudness, raising voice causes masking of consonants
  • position yourself close to your child or use FM system
  • use varying intonation (use of motherese) rhythm to make speech interesting and more audible for your child

All strategies can also be used by teachers

Home

Classroom

Provide repetition and redundancy of auditory stimuli in meaningful environments so that your child can learn it

 - repeat or rephrase if child has missed information; repeat the questions/comments of the other children so that the child is able to hear it through the FM microphone

Speak in complete phrases which are appropriate to the level of your child's language
- allows child to learn the rules of language; they cannot model what they did not hear (avoid telegraphic language)

- model appropriate verbalizations for the child and give him/her the opportunity to use verbal language 

Provide contextual cues - it is the best way to provide the child with meaningful daily interactions for repetitious learning experiences

 - preface topics or changes of topics so that the child knows what is being presented/discussed, for ie. "OK class, we're now going to talk about dinosaurs."

Auditory presentation - Present information within earshot or use FM system

 - use the child's personal FM system appropriately and develop ease and comfort with its use

Expectation - believe that your child can hear and provide auditory input so that they can learn to maximize their residual hearing

- expect the same behaviour from the child with the hearing loss as you would from the other children and do not reduce your expectations for performance  

LISTENER VARIABLES

 

Attending behaviours - engage in meaningful interactions with your child frequently; establish specific times for more formalized teaching to help your child develop ability to attend for longer periods of time

- seat the child in the middle of the classroom so that the child can see and hear the other students’ reactions

Communication Skills/Independence
- continue to develop your child's auditory, speech language abilities according to developmental age/stage; provide many opportunities for success

- provide opportunities to develop child's vocabulary, reading, and writing skills and world knowledge; use visual cues to assist in the child's learning

Listening in Quiet/Noise - teach your child how to listen in the presence of background noise, develop strategies they can use to assist them

- be aware of noise levels in the classroom and try to reduce noise levels whenever possible

Social/Emotional Maturity
- expose your child to hearing peers from whom he/she can learn appropriate social skills

- provide opportunities for the child with a hearing loss to interact with his/her hearing peers

Fatigue
- listening is hard work, provide child with opportunities to have quiet time or play alone

- provide the child with the hearing loss with some "down time" throughout various times of the day so he/she can take a break from the intensive listening that is required in the classroom

ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES

 

Noise

  • eliminate competing sounds; turn off radios and TV
  • close windows next to noisy areas (ie neighbour mowing lawn)
  • turn off noisy appliances
  • work with your child when noise from other family members is at a minimum
  • encourage grandparents, babysitters, etc to do the same
  • utilize the FM with your child when your child is able to report accurately what he/she is hearing