Whether hearing impaired or not, all children may benefit from the use of various strategies to improve their
ability to communicate successfully in their daily lives.
Below are a few tips to improve your child’s chances for having successful communication with yourself and others:
Get your child’s attention before beginning to speak
- Call your child’s name, touch his or her shoulder, or use a specified word or hand signal to gain his or her
attention before you begin speaking
Face your child when speaking
- Individuals with hearing loss benefit greatly from visual cues to help them to better understand speech
- Ensure there is good lighting (no shadows across your face)
Stand or sit close to your child and keep still when speaking
- Even when wearing hearing aids, your child will hear best when he or she is within a few feet of the speaker
- Keeping still while speaking will help minimize distractions and will better allow your child to use visual
cues to help aid in understanding
Reduce your rate of speech (speak more slowly and clearly rather than raising your voice)
- All children, including those with normal hearing, benefit from a slower rate of speech than what adults
typically use. This allows more time for them to process what is being said, and is especially important for
children with hearing loss
Check for understanding
- If your child does not understand something, rephrase what was said (change the wording and simplify the
language instead of repeating)
Reduce background noise
- Turn off TV or radio in the background and be aware of other sources of noise such as open doors and air
conditioning units - At home and at school, you can create a good listening environment by using carpets and area rugs to improve
acoustics and covering desk and chair feet with soft materials
Encourage your child to let you and/or others know when he or she does not understand
Contact one of our locations to book a hearing evaluation.