Question
What suggestions do you give parents of hearing impaired children following Auditory-Verbal Therapy for hearing in and around swimming pools?
Answer
There is some good news about cochlear implants. The new Nucleus® 5 that has recently come out by Cochlear Corporation can actually be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. So that's really appealing to families and teens as well. But to children that have to take them off - there are some hearing aids that have some capabilities and there are some very creative parents that have done things with baggies that I have read about, too. Again a good pediatric audiologist can guide them through this area. But I have families determine what some very simple hand cues are that we use, as hearing parents, with our kids when they're too far away at the beach or when the pool side is very noisy. It is just the basics - to be able to teach them: “Come here” or “Stop” or “I can't hear you” or “Do you want to eat or whatever?” Whatever works for them. But it doesn't seem to be a problem at all for our families in A-V therapy. I will say this, manufactures are listening to families and they are coming up with devices that are increasingly water?resistant. So that is good news. A good pediatric audiologist will be able to guide you.
Denise Wray is a Professor in the School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at the University of Akron and has co-directed the Auditory-Verbal Clinic in the University’s Audiology and Speech Center for more than two decades. Her research interest areas involve literacy development in children with hearing loss who are learning to listen and speak using their technology.
