Hearts for Hearing supports children with hearing loss learning to listen and talk by offering Listening & Spoken Language Therapy to children with hearing loss and their families. Listening & Spoken Language Therapy focuses on maximizing a child’s listening and spoken abilities. A certified Listening and Spoken Language Specialist provides coaching, guidance, support, and demonstrations to the caregivers of a child with hearing loss with the goal of creating a language-rich listening lifestyle that will optimize the development of the child’s auditory and spoken language abilities. The Listening and Spoken Language Specialist will equip families with strategies to enhance listening and spoken language at home. Additionally, the Listening and Spoken Language Specialist will continually assess and monitor the child’s progress in listening and spoken language development to ensure the child is reaching his or her full potential. With early diagnosis and appropriate amplification, children who receive quality Listening & Spoken Language therapy can develop listening and spoken language skills on par with their hearing peers and thrive in a mainstream classroom by kindergarten.
Hearts for Hearing offers many opportunities for children with hearing loss to join in group listening and learning. These group therapy experiences are an extension of the pediatric services we offer and are available for those children who receive pediatric audiology services and Listening & Spoken Language Therapy through Hearts for Hearing.
Baby Group is a monthly gathering for families of babies with hearing loss. This program is team-led by two Speech-Language Pathologists and a pediatric audiologist. The goal of the Baby & Me Group is to provide an opportunity for families to receive valuable information on relevant topics related to babies and hearing loss in addition to providing a time of connection with caregivers of babies with hearing loss.
Listening for Littles is a parent-toddler group that provides families with an introductory experience to a group listening environment. The group meets once weekly and provides a language-rich environment where families connect with others whose lives have been touched by hearing loss. A parent or family member accompanies each child,and they too can learn strategies for developing listening skills and integrating listening into everyday activities. This program is team-taught by an early childhood educator, a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, and a graduate intern in Speech-Language Pathology.
Hearts for Hearing offers a preschool experience, Bridges, built on Listening and Spoken Language principles in a reverse mainstream setting, where children with hearing loss attend alongside children with typical hearing. The goal is to prepare every child for a successful transition into a mainstream classroom. The program is team-taught by an early childhood educator, a speech-language pathologist pursuing certification as a Listening and Spoken Language Specialist, and a graduate intern in Speech-Language Pathology.
Each summer, Hearts for Hearing hosts a week-long day camp in Oklahoma City for children entering kindergarten through middle school. The camp offers an opportunity for children to be with friends who have hearing loss and provides enrichment for listening and spoken language. Many Hearts for Hearing graduates return to camp as volunteers, and lasting friendships are often built through the camp experience.
