Audiology

Treatment

Everyday Solutions For Hearing Loss

Manual communication techniques, which have been used for decades, continue to provide deaf and hearing-impaired people with effective ways to communicate. With training and practice, just about anyone can take advantage of communication methods such as:

• American Sign Language (ASL) - This visual-gestural language that was created by deaf people and is used millions of people. ASL uses specific movements of the hands and arms, eyes, face, head, and body posture to represent concepts and words. The grammar and other characteristics of ASL are completely different from the grammar of the English language, but it has proven itself as rich and complete form of language.
  
  
• Speech Reading - Also known as lip reading, this is a method of using visual clues from a speaker’s face to determine the words are being spoken. Speech readers attempt to “decode” spoken language by “reading” patterns on the speaker’s lips and combining them with contextual clues from conversations. Learning to speech read takes time and practice, and its use may be complicated by the fact that many sounds of normal speech are not clearly visible on the lips.

Some Tips For Improving Your Communication With Someone Who Has Hearing Loss

Here are some tips that can you communicate more effectively with friends, family and coworkers who have hearing loss.

• When you're speaking to a deaf or hearing-impaired person, don't shout. Shouting just distorts your mouth movements and makes speech reading difficult
  
  
• Speak clearly. Don't cover your mouth with your hands or an object while you are speaking. If you have a moustache, keep it well trimmed so it doesn't cover your lips and interfere with speech reading
  
  
• Speak face-to-face, without standing closer than you'd normally stand to a hearing person. But don't try to hold a conversation from across the room
  
  
• Make sure you have a person’s attention before you start speaking. A gentle tap on the shoulder can do the trick
  
  
• If you're having trouble being understood verbally, use written words and gestures to explain what you mean. Or try a different way of saying the same thing
  
  
• Tell the person when the topic of conversation changes
  
  
• Cut down on background noise. Turn off the television or radio during conversations. Ask for quiet sections in restaurants
  
  
• Don't turn away and don't give up. Hearing impaired and deaf people can communicate with you. It simply may require a little more patience and effort