After the Device: Hearing Training at Home and Sound Awareness
The first moment your child is introduced to a hearing aid or cochlear implant is undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable milestones of your life. While your child's first steps into the world of sound bring great excitement, the period following the fitting of the device can often be confusing for parents. You've fitted the device — so what happens now? How will your child make sense of this complex array of sounds they are hearing?
For individuals with hearing impairment, the real journey begins not with the fitting of the device, but with the auditory training that follows. The at-home hearing exercises you can carry out play a critical role in the success of this process, helping your child adapt to and make sense of the new sounds they are hearing.
Sound Detection: Tuning In to the Sounds of the World
The first and most fundamental step in the Auditory Training module, developed in accordance with special education standards, is the skill of "Sound Detection." It is not sufficient for a child who has just been fitted with a device to simply hear the sounds around them; the child must demonstrate that they are consciously aware of those sounds.
You can follow these steps to enhance your child's sound awareness:
Detecting Sounds Indoors: Have your child listen to sounds found in the home environment, such as doors, telephones, music, appliances, and vacuum cleaners. When your child hears these sounds, encourage them to respond by looking toward or pointing at the source of the sound.
Detecting Sounds Outdoors: Not only indoor sounds, but also vehicle, animal, and nature sounds heard in the surrounding environment are excellent training materials. Observe whether your child responds to sounds coming from outside — such as a car or a dog — by looking toward or pointing at the source.
Sound Discrimination and Localization Exercises
Once your child begins to detect the presence of sound, the next phase — "Sound Discrimination" — begins, in which they learn to distinguish that sounds differ from one another. At this stage, your child's mind starts to learn how to categorize sounds.
Recognizing the Properties of Sounds: You can ask your child to distinguish whether the sounds they hear are low or high, long or short, thin or thick. For example, comparing the sound of a drum with the high-pitched ring of a bell is an excellent exercise.
Localizing the Source of Sound: Distinguishing the direction of a sound presented in a quiet or noisy environment is very important for your child's spatial perception. You can devise games to help them locate sounds coming from the right or left, below or above, or from the front or behind. When a sound is presented, your child is expected to display searching behaviors such as blinking, looking around, or turning their head.
E-Rehabilitation: Transform Everyday Home Sounds into Training Materials
Post-cochlear implant training or the hearing aid acclimatization process is a daily life experience far too broad to be limited to a few clinic visits per week. Your child spends most of their time at home, and the home is the richest laboratory for learning sounds.
On our e-rehabilitasyon.com platform, our specialist audiologists and speech-language therapists come directly to your home through online tele-therapy sessions. The expert on the other side of the screen will guide you step by step on how to transform the natural sounds readily available in your home — such as the doorbell, telephone ringing, toy sounds, or a favorite piece of music — into highly effective training materials.
Guided by our specialist as though you were a therapist yourself, you will learn through hands-on experience when to produce a sound, how long to wait if your child does not respond, and how to encourage them to locate the direction of the sound.
Let's Strengthen Every Step Your Child Takes Into the World of Sound — Together!
If you are unsure of what to do after your child has been fitted with a device, take action now to transform your home into a rehabilitation center and receive online support from our specialists.
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