Presented by: Dan “DP” Foley and Tara Kelly Date: March 27, 2012

 Auditory-Oral Communication Strategies  Visual and Tactile Communication Strategies  Questions and Answers

 What is it?  Using Auditory-Oral Communication with your child  Things to remember

“Auditory-Oral” means listening and speaking  “Auditory” refers to the ears and hearing  “Oral” refers to the mouth and speaking

 Talking  Using hearing as much as possible  Reading lips (aka “speechreading”)  Using other clues to understand what people are saying (looking where someone is pointing, seeing pictures, etc.)

 Talk to your child  Include routines:  waking up  getting dressed  feeding/eating  diaper change/ bathroom time  Songs & games – have fun together!  Ask questions and let them answer  bath time  playing/reading/ watching TV  leaving the house  getting ready for bed  Keep the background noise to a minimum whenever possible

 Have your child use their hearing as much as possible – conversation, socializing, TV/video, music, etc.  Use games, toys, and activities that include sounds - home, animals, transportation, etc.  Point out sounds in your child’s environment in the house, outside, on the street, etc. by asking them “Do you hear that?/What’s that noise?”  Help them to make a visual connection to where sounds come from

DO :  Make sure that you are facing your child when speaking with them, and that they can see your mouth clearly  Be sure that the room your child is in has good lighting and you are easily seen  Speak normally; you may point to your mouth when illustrating specific sounds (B, F, P, etc.)  Try and have only one person speaking at a time  Expand on conversation with your child DON’T  :  Talk to your child without facing them or when you are in another room  Try to have conversations in dark settings or when many people are talking at once  Exaggerate your mouth movements or mumble  Expect your child to fully understand language through speechreading alone (only 30% of spoken language is visible on the lips)  Assume your child will understand what you are saying; be prepared to repeat/explain

 Visual supports in Auditory-Oral Communication can be helpful  Direct your child’s attention to what you’re talking about by pointing or moving closer to the object (when possible)  Use picture reinforcement to illustrate key concepts (family, routines, foods, familiar places, etc.) – photo journals or books are great for this!

 Patience, not Perfection - you and your child are learning together. Mistakes and misunderstandings will happen.  Repetition – your child will need to hear/practice making sounds and words many times before they understand them and/or use them  Don’t get so focused on language (sounds, articulation, etc.) that you forget to communicate  Be creative – whatever works for you and your child is ok!

 How to communicate with Deaf or Hard-Of- Hearing children (from birth to 3 years old).  How to maintain eye contact (for children 3-5 years old).  How to introduce signs for people and objects.

 Attention getting strategies  For meals - Once the child is “seated”, introduce the food to your child and describe your actions (ex. “Mommy’s feeding you!”)  Play time – Do your best to introduce the names of toys and describe the child’s actions in sign  Nap/bedtime – Visual bedtime story

 “Rebelling” phase begins!  Visual and tactile techniques.  Use your facial expressions to express your emotional tone.  The key thing is patience

 From birth to 2 years old: ◦ Make references to:  People  Objects  Surroundings  Actions  From 3 – 5 years old: ◦ Make references to and expand on:  People  Objects  Surroundings  Actions

 Tara Kelly – Family Educator ◦ ◦  Dan Foley – Family Educator: ASL ◦ ◦ (I am Deaf: when you call me, you will hear the interpreter first. The interpreter is there to relay the communication; just talk as if the interpreter isn’t there.)

 Raising Deaf Kids – website with many resources for families of deaf and hard of hearing children (  Guide to Education of Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing – a PDF from the Kansas State Department of Education that includes information on Deaf Education and scholarly references (  Hands and Voices – organization offering unbiased information and support to parents and families of deaf and hard of hearing children (  Raising and Educating A Deaf Child – website offering information and questions/answers for parents and families of deaf and hard of hearing children (

 National Association of the Deaf – information on early intervention ( intervention) intervention  American Speech-Language-Hearing Association – website with information on speech, language, and hearing (  American Society for Deaf Children – a “parent-helping- parent” organization that focuses on language access and communication (  Alexander Graham Bell Association – organization dedicated to listening and spoken language (

 Any questions?