Early auditory development plays a critical role in a child’s spoken communication journey. Supporting families and professionals during these early years requires tools like ReDi and the LittlEARS ® Auditory Questionnaire that are simple, accessible, and practical in home and clinical environments.

What is taught and practiced in rehabilitation therapy sessions can provide improved hearing and speaking abilities faster after implantation if these skills are also routinely practiced at home between sessions. This article introduces The Essential Strategy Cards, a free set of cards to assist caretakers and parents as they help young hearing implant recipients develop between therapy sessions.

Children who receive cochlear implants late are unique. This article briefly describes hearing loss diagnosis and treatment guidelines for babies and young children, what is known about why some children are diagnosed or treated later as well as the impacts of unaddressed hearing loss. After that, we provide some rehabilitation recommendations for supporting this unique population of patients with cochlear implants.

What can be done when a three-year-old child’s listening and speaking skills stop showing signs of improvement? What strategies can rehabilitation specialists use when a young cochlear implant recipient has inconsistent auditory skills and a short attention span? This case study provides insights that may be relevant for speech-language therapists with similar patients.

Play sounds can not only be used capture young children’s listening attention. They can also be a highly effective way to help children learn to process auditory information. By integrating them into your auditory rehabilitation practice, you can help kick-start their listening and language development while having fun.

Hearing loss is a subject encountered daily by many people, but whether at work or in their private lives, some people may not understand how to approach people who use cochlear implants and other hearing devices. The MED-EL Hearing Poster series aims to bridge that gap in knowledge by providing simple, easily digestible bites of information that anyone can understand and incorporate into their daily lives.