Hearing technology helps relationships grow
By giving children access to a world full of conversations, we can help them develop the relationships and skills they need to live their best lives – to play, interact, learn, communicate and ultimately, succeed.
As a parent, educating yourself about hearing loss in babies, toddlers and children is the first step towards making the best decisions for your child’s future. Taking action early in your child’s life is very important.
Strong relationships help children understand their world, strengthen brain architecture and support the development of communication and social skills.1
Back-and-forth interactions and conversations provide the basis for these important relationships and are known as ‘serve and returns’. Filled with developmental benefits they stimulate neural connections, shape brain architecture and support the development of communication and social skills.1 These interactions encourage children's curiosity and help them understand their world.
The quantity of words and conversations a child is exposed to influences brain development and helps with developing vocabulary and academic outcomes.2,3 Young listeners need access to millions of words and thousands of hours of listening to develop spoken language and literacy.2,4
It's not only the number of conversations that is important but also the diversity and complexity of the language you use and how clearly your child can hear it.5
The 'serve' includes all communication attempts like a young baby's wiggle, a toddler's pointing or an older child asking "why?". The 'return' is any appropriate response back, whether it's a smile, a facial expression or words. When you return a serve, your child knows that their thoughts and feelings are heard and understood.
Questions encourage children to be active turn-takers. And when you make an effort to actively listen, you acknowledge your child and strengthen the bond between the two of you. You can make the most of these interactions by using rich and varied vocabulary and stimulating your child’s imagination with questions.
Everyday routines are perfect opportunities for increasing serve and return interactions. For example, when changing diapers or during morning walks to school. By doing so, conversations become a natural way of communicating and your child gets meaningful interactions throughout their day.
By giving your child access to clear, rich sound in every situation, they will not miss out on conversations and bonding opportunities. Your child needs:
Removal of disturbing noises (e.g. turn off the radio, close the windows).