Facilitating communication development in hearing impaired children : the dilemma of choosing the mode(s)

Abstract

Children with hearing impairment are a diverse group in terms of degree, cause, type, age of onset and age at identification. Among the adverse effects of such a sensory impairment, the development of verbal communication skills seems to be the most crucial. Whether a hearing impairment becomes a disability or a handicap depends on whether functional communication skills develop early enough and whether these skills develop in a deviant manner. Researchers, clinicians and educators have always been concerned in trying to minimise the drastic effects of hearing impairment. Speech therapists and educational audiologists in particular are currently putting their efforts in reducing factors that may lead to various types of communication disorders in the hearing impaired.