Introduction to Aural Rehabilitation

Lisa Bowers, Ph.D. CCC-SLP

Early Intervention Services:

Supporting the Family

Early Intervention
Partner with parents to understand their
child
Develop trust
Listen! - listen for content
Tolerate silences
Observe notice non-verbal cues
Limit use of professional jargon
Use open-ended questions
Provide information that is requested

Creating a Partnership
Start off Well Social Stage
Find out how much the parents know
Find out how much the parents want to know
Family shares information & defines their childs disability
Respond to the parents feelings
Assist family to identify support systems, plan for follow-through

Addressing a Familys Priorities

Information most frequently requested

Education: hearing loss

97%
Education: comm. approaches
97%
Websites, books, videos
95%
Preparing for IFSP
87%
Education: amplification/technology
82%

Information requested less frequently

Connecting family w/ other agencies

69%
Attending audiology visits
51%
Education: law
46%
Connecting w/ D/HH role model
41%
Connecting w/ family advocate
18%

Information and Resources Provided to

Families
Topics requested by families surveyed
95% communication approaches
88%
language development
84% speech development
83% sign language
81% hearing aids
80% functional auditory skill
development

Information and Resources

72% general development
71% service coordination
68% Part C
66% parent groups
64% financial resources
64% appropriate play strategies and
toys
63% private therapy

AR for Children
Chapter Nine

AR for Children

Figure 9.1

Therapy should be:

Consistent - language and auditory learning

opportunities should be embedded into every
day routines during authentic, natural
interactions all day long.
Strategic - parents/caregivers engineer
additional meaningful opportunities for
language and auditory exposure or practice.
Adaptive - family members pay attention to
changes in the infants development and they
adjust their strategies
Informed - parent is aware of the importance
of strategies that support the childs turn
taking and communication.

AR: The science and art

Science

Art

(Table 9.1)

AR specialists:

Information Resource:
Coach / Partner role
Joint discoverer
News Commentator
Partner in Play
Joint reflector and planner

AR visit

Always check amplification!

Ling Test
Optimal listening environment
Auditory Skill Development (Table 9.3)

AR sessions include:

Auditory Attention: auditory awareness;

ability to attend to various environmental
sounds.
Syllable Approximation: ability to imitate
what is heard through the integration of speech
perception and speech production.
Sound-Object Association: connection
between what is heard and what it represents.
Listening and Language Integration:
integration of auditory skills as a foundation for
understanding and processing new information
through spoken language.

John Tracy Clinic

The Listening Room

Tune Ups

ELF

Hanen

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)

Early intervention services for birth to three

years of age
Emphasis on family involvement in process
States:

Childs levels of development

Family concerns, priorities, and resources

IFSP (cont.)

States:

Outcomes and progress monitoring

Intervention services and how often provided
Environment providing early intervention (EI)
services

Medical home

Start date and duration of services

Service coordinator
Plan for transitioning to preschool

Instruction

Informal

Observe parent and child

Provide positive reinforcement and ideas

Formal

Focus on absent communication behaviors

Parent and clinician create problem-solving
strategies