Hearing and Speech Impairment

Hearing loss exists when there is diminished sensitivity to the sounds normally heard. The terms hearing impairment or hard of hearing are usually reserved for people who have relative insensitivity to sound in the speech frequencies. In profound deafness, even the loudest sounds produced by an audiometer (an instrument used to measure hearing by producing pure tone sounds through a range of frequencies) may not be detected. In total deafness, no sounds at all, regardless of amplification or method of production, are heard.

Speech and language impairment are basic categories that might be drawn in issues of communication involve hearing, speech, language, and fluency. Speech impairment is characterized by difficulty in articulation of words. Examples include stuttering or problems producing particular sounds. A language impairment is a specific impairment in understanding and sharing thoughts and ideas, i.e. a disorder that involves the processing of linguistic information. Problems that may be experienced can involve the form of language, including grammar, morphology, syntaxand the functional aspects of language. An individual can have one or both types of impairment. These impairments / disorders are identified by a speech and language pathologist.

AHEAD provides the services of an Audiologist and Speech and Language Pathologist (ASLP) and special educators specializing in Hearing Handicapped. We use instruments for Hearing Impaired Studies when the child is taught language subjects such as hearing aids, sign language and language oriented Teaching Learning Material (TLM). Audiometric instruments are used for Hearing tests when needed.