Journal of Communication Disorders, Deaf Studies & Hearing Aids
Open Access

Connecting to communicate: Using telepractice to provide auditory-verbal therapy & adult aural rehabilitation

International Conference and Expo on Audiology and Hearing Devices

August 17-18, 2015 Birmingham, UK

K Todd Houston

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Commun Disord Deaf Stud Hearing Aids

Abstract :

Hearing loss in children has been described as the most common health condition in newborns, affecting 1-3 per 1000 births.
Because of newborn hearing screening, early diagnosis and fitting of hearing technology, and enrollment in intervention, many
children with hearing loss are achieving language outcomes that rival their hearing peers by the time they reach kindergarten or
first grade. That is, these outcomes are possible if parents have access to services that are timely, consistent, and are provided by
well-trained practitioners who are knowledgeable about childhood hearing loss and communication development. Similarly, adults
with significant hearing loss also need aural rehabilitation services. For adults who receive cochlear implants, consistent aural
rehabilitation that will enable them to understand the speech signal that these devices provide is now a necessity for the attainment
of optimal communication performance. Unfortunately, many parents and caregivers who have young children with hearing loss and
adults with hearing technologymay not have access to highly qualified speech-language pathologists who can provide appropriate
services. Fortunately, telepractice models are now being used throughout the United States and around the world to provide parents
and other patients with access to much needed services that are not available in their local communities. At The University of Akron,
a model of telepractice has been developed to provide family-centered early intervention services to children with hearing loss and
their parents/caregivers as well as aural rehabilitation services to adults who have received cochlear implants. This presentation will
focus on how this model was developed, the clinical protocols that are used, and the communication outcomes of the patients who
have been served.