If you are a parent, it is good to be familiar with the basic benchmarks for hearing, speech, and language development in the infant, toddler, and school-aged child. The benchmarks serve as guidelines for pediatricians and other health and education professionals with which to monitor the child’s progress or delay, and offer help if necessary. The first post in this three-part series will cover the basic benchmarks for infants. (more…)
Each May, Better Hearing and Speech Month aims to familiarize the public with the nature of communication disorders, as well as with the role of the speech-language pathologist in providing life-altering treatment. To this end, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has recently launched the “Identify the Signs” campaign, designed to address a lack of awareness about communication disorders — a major barrier to treatment for the more than 40 million Americans who suffer from them. (more…)
While we may be well aware of the meanings and pronunciations of the words we choose, and our tone of voice and volume when we speak, there are additional guidelines for social language, also known as “pragmatics.” Successful social language is appropriate, informative and persuasive, while poor pragmatics can lead to social isolation and lack of acceptance. (more…)
Hearing is one of the five human senses by which we perceive and experience the world around us. Specifically, hearing is the ability to detect and distinguish different sounds through our ears. The inability to hear is termed “deafness.”
Listening is one important way that we mentally interpret and respond to what we hear. The inability to listen well has been attributed to distraction and divided attention, as well as to hearing loss. (more…)
In old movies of the 1930s, once-popular depictions reflecting the interaction of breathing and speaking involved either dramatic scenes of family straining to hear the last, soft, poignant words uttered haltingly by the film’s heroine, or a strong, confident hero leaping to his feet and enthusiastically and boldly calling his comrades to action. (more…)
Each May, we recognize Stroke Awareness Month with much-needed reminders for stroke prevention. According to the National Stroke Association, 80% of all strokes can be prevented. Following the stroke prevention guidelines below may help you lower your risk.