Rehabilitation

We provide a wide variety of resources for audiologists and speech-language pathologists to assist you in supporting your patients with MED-EL hearing devices on their hearing journey and in achieving their goals and communication potential.

Music is a beneficial component of every hearing implant rehabilitation program. Music can support the development of children’s listening, language, cognitive, motor, and social skills. And Musical EARS® is a resource designed for professionals aiming to include musical activities and training into the rehabilitation programs for children with hearing implants. With a holistic approach to children’s musical development, Musical EARS® demonstrates how singing, rhythm, movement, and instruments can be utilized in aural rehabilitation. Here we will highlight one part of the resource that could be included in cochlear implant rehabilitation.

What factors affect communication outcomes in pediatric cochlear implantation? Research has revealed that age at implantation, family environment, additional disabilities, communication mode, and technological and surgical factors can all influence outcomes.

From checking that students' devices are working properly to creating an environment that makes hearing easier, teachers of children with cochlear implants, hearing aids, and other hearing devices can make many small adjustments to facilitate learning.

Along with positive behavioral intervention to prevent challenging behavior, it is also critical to provide children with a high-quality supportive environment, foster self-regulation and make sure a child’s hearing aid or hearing implant is working correctly so that they can best hear all of the sounds of speech.

The effects of deafblindness vary depending on the degree of vision or hearing loss but can impact communication, mobility, and access to information. It is therefore imperative that teachers and healthcare professionals adopt a collaborative approach to ensure the best outcomes while addressing the diverse needs of individuals within this population.