Children who suddenly develop nearly complete deafness after an auto accident are going to be put in a very tough position. They may end up losing some of their speech capacities and may even stop talking due to frustration and agitation. Thankfully, there are many different ways that they can get help, including working with a speech pathologist to address this issue properly.
Hearing Loss Affects Speech in Many Children
The sudden near complete loss of hearing can be devastating to a person at any age. However, it is particularly hard for young children. Many are still learning proper phonetics and may have a hard time pronouncing certain words already. And when they lose much of their hearing, they're going to struggle even more to properly speak and communicate with their parents, peers, and teachers.
This problem can spiral out of control and cause a myriad of issues that can be tough to handle. For example, a child may develop shyness because they are embarrassed by the sound of their voice or the fact that they struggle to pronounce certain words. They may even have a hard time learning new concepts and have a tough experience at school. Thankfully, help is available from a speech pathologist.
How a Speech Pathologist Can Help
A speech pathologist is a professional who understands how to help people with troubles speaking. For example, they work with many nearly or completely deaf people. They provide a myriad of activities and therapy methods that help a child better understand how to speak. They can also help an audiologist understand the extent of a child's hearing loss and how it affects their life.
For example, a speech pathologist can help a child learn how to pay better attention to the faint sound of their voice and how to shape sounds in a simple and effective way. This process can include various types of exercises and activities that may resemble games. In this way, a child can participate with their parents and even have a little fun while they work on their pronunciation too.
These treatment options should be adjusted to suit a child's needs to ensure that they are successful. For example, if a child has a hard time with certain phonetic sounds, the audiologist and speech pathologist should make sure to focus on them. In this way, they can help the child better understand their speech limitations and how to overcome them successfully.
To learn more about pediatric speech therapy services, contact a speech pathologist near you.
