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The Division of Audiology and Speech-Language
Pathology at the Mailman Center for Child Development focuses on
the communication needs of infants, toddlers, and school-aged children.
The major clinical programs include the following: Universal newborn
hearing screening; early detection and intervention of hearing loss in
infants; diagnosis of hearing loss in toddlers, preschool, and school-aged
children; speech and language evaluations; therapeutic interventions for
speech, language, and hearing disorders.
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening: Audiologists at the Mailman Center for Child Development
are responsible for screening the hearing of all newborns at Jackson Memorial Hospital prior to discharge.
These professionals use computer-based procedures to evaluate each baby's hearing in a manner that does not
depend on the child's cooperation. The tests are objective and provide information regarding the health
and function of the inner ear and/or the auditory nerve.
Children who do not pass the initial screening are followed up as outpatients at the Mailman Center
to determine whether the initial result truly indicated the presence of hearing loss or if
indeed the child has normal hearing sensitivity.
For those children in whom hearing loss is discovered, audiologists begin immediately the process of
intervention in the form of auditory amplification.
Hearing aids are selected and fitted to the infants as young as three months.
Coordination is also provided to avail the child of a wide variety of services including the Early Steps Program,
private therapy options, and parent support groups.
Early Detection and Intervention of Hearing Loss in Infants:
The pediatric audiologists at the Mailman Center for Child Development also serve as community
resources for other hospitals and their screening programs. The Division of Audiology and
Speech-Language Pathology receives outpatient referrals from a number of community hospitals
and pediatricians throughout Miami-Dade County. Upon arrival, each infant receives a complete
diagnostic evaluation using objective tests in addition to behavioral observations with a goal
of accurate determination of hearing status. If hearing loss is found, then each child enters
into the process of early intervention through the use of hearing aids and necessary therapies
to promote the normal development of listening, speech, and language skills.
Diagnosis of Hearing Loss in Infants, Toddlers, and School-aged Children:
Not all hearing loss is congenital in nature occurring at or before birth.
There are numerous causes of delayed onset hearing loss which means that the
child may have normal hearing sensitivity for the first months or years of life
and then have hearing loss onset due to disease or genetic factors. Commonly,
suspicion of hearing loss is raised with a child develops attention problems or
delays in speech and language development. Evaluation of hearing is an important
element of the diagnostic evaluation protocol. The presence or absence of hearing
loss greatly influences the goals and activities of other therapeutic interventions.
In addition, children with learning disabilities or attention problems may have difficulties
processing sound information. The audiologists at the Mailman Center have the capability
of evaluating central auditory processing abilities as a potential contributing factor
to learning difficulties.
Comprehensive Evaluation and Intervention of Speech and Language Disorders:
The speech-language pathologists at the Mailman Center have the training and
tools necessary for early diagnosis of speech and language disorders in toddlers,
preschool, and school-aged children. They work closely with pediatrics, genetics,
and pediatric psychology to determine the cause, when possible, of a speech or language problem.
Once a problem is diagnosed, the professionals in this division have the capability
of providing appropriate therapeutic intervention to improve the child's function
in accordance with the diagnosis.
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