Talking To Deaf Babies with Technology, Ipads, and Therapy
A two-year-old toddler, born deaf, lives in a rural California farming town with his parents. What is special about this baby is that he has a standing appointment with an iPad. He received cochlear implants about seven months ago, as CNN reports. He, along with his mother use FaceTime video chat with a speech therapist who is helping the boy learn new sounds. What adds to the relief of the parents is skipping the three-hour commuting distance to see a therapist, and it saves the family from financial and psychological efforts. The family among the several who has joined the free program that helps the children under three to connect with the help of iPads with a network of professional's support that works remotely.
The sessions include regular speech therapy over an iPad, and one can call in with questions about everything and on any topic. The progress is tracked over email in the program that is referred to as BabyTalk. The innovative program has been initiated with between Weingarten Children's Center and Stanford University and is funded by a $260,000 three-year grant. BabyTalk can support up to 30 children at a time and can help patients save money, time, and efforts. This is an interesting case as to how telemedicine can offer specialized medical care to the remote communities. Weingarten's executive director says that the whole program is based on the right blend of technology, cognitive skills and develop listening.
Most babies born in the United States undergo a mandatory hearing test in the first few hours of life. The purpose is to identify any hearing loss early so that the baby can get proper treatment very early on. Babies can undergo implant surgery as early as six months. The Stanford audiologists state that the critical period is from zero to three.
