please be alert

Hello readers,

I had a call yesterday from a friend of an acquaintance who wanted to discuss her son's problem. He has severe to profound hearing loss in both ears and very inadequate speech-language skills as expected of a normal 13 yr old. Now, this child was fitted with a 'programmable hearing aid' worth Rs.65ooo. When i asked the mother as to why was a programmable aid given to a child who was finding it difficult to discriminate even gross sounds in the environment (programmable hearing aids follow the audiogram contour and help in enhancing the hearing by reducing interference. For this however one needs to know what it is to hear "well". Preferrably someone who has known what 'normal' hearing is.), the mother replied, "what could i do? I did what the audiologist asked me to." She was also over charged and did not know that hearing-aids too have MRPs which further can be bargained upon.

• The biggest menance we professionals face is ENTs prescribing and dispencing hearing-aids. What people do not know is that they are not qualified enough to do so and muslt consult an audiologist for the process.


• Secondly, not everyone with hearing loss needs hearing aids. The audiologist in tandem with the client determines it. There are a large variety to choose from.


• A very important aspect is the pricing. The MRP includes commisions to the professionals dispencing the hearing aids. Just like other electronic items, please insist on being shown the MRP chart. take second opinions if needed. Information on prices can be obtained from the internet.

Be alert!

Mail me ur comments or queries in this regard.

My experience.......... a touching one

This is something i'll never forget......... I was a student in second yr of graduation. We were posted in a department which was used to test the little children (below3 yrs) for hearing loss. One day a man in his 40s visited with a small kid not more than 2yrs old. He had to wait with us students as there was another kid in the test room. But in these 15min the kiddo won over ur hearts. Then they were taken in for the test. During the process his file revealed that this child was from an orphanage and was considered for adoption by the gentleman. With our hearts thudding we observed the process of testing. The child was diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss in both ears. finally during the "parent" counselling our worst fears came true. The man declared that he wouldnt be "taking" the child...... who by now was clinging to him and he tried pushing him off as if the child had just contracted a communicable disease. No reasoning by our psychologist could change his mind and the social worker took the child back to the orphanage. It left us wondering about the psychological impact this incident must have had on the child.
This further implies the need for hearing screening in young children to be made compulsory especially if they fall in the high risk category.
I look forward for discussions and queries if any regarding this true incident.

SCHOOL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

This is a part of my school awareness campaign. One has to look for these signs in children as per the class group...... In case of any doubt or features matching, contact the nearest peadiatrician or the rehabilitation professional

PRE-PRIMARY
History of delayed speech-langauage development
Very poor span of attention-concentration (fleeting eye contact).
Needs to be repeatedly commanded.
Unclear speech (especially in Sr. K.G).
Unable to write (even towards end of Jr. K.G.).
Avoids constructional activity.
Hyperactivity and disrupts class.
Stammering
Highly emotional, frequent outbursts.
.
PRIMARY SCHOOL
History of delayed speech-language acquisition
Confusion in understanding of concepts and needs constant repetition.
Unclear speech.
Illegible handwriting.
Poor academic performance.
Stammering.
Poor attention span in class.

SECONDARY SCHOOL
Very poor in academics. Fails in the same class repeatedly.
Unable to read and write age appropriately.
History of delayed speech-language acquisition.
Concepts need to be frequently explained.
Stammering
Pre-adolescent behavior problems (frequent manifestations) disrupting class.
Voice disorders (mainly voice change in pubertal boys).

Hello everyone

I welcome u all to this blog on paediatric disability awareness. I am a Speech-Language therapist practising in Navi Mumbai. I dedicate this space to spreading awareness and highlighting various problems faced by specially abled children and their parents during diagnosis and during the course of rehabilitation. This space also aims to help out and assist those who need help in finding professionals nearest to their locality.
I look forward to healthy interaction and information sharing Between like minded individuals and this is my way to give my bit to the society.