BETTER SPEECH AND HEARING DAY 2023
Better Speech and Hearing Day is observed in May each year to increase awareness about communication disorders and hearing health. Founded by the League Speech-Language-Hearing Association (LSHA), this day also provides an opportunity to honor the roles of LSHA members in providing treatment to those affected by speech and hearing disorders.
WHAT TO DO
- Adopt better habits: Improve your hearing and speech by following some simple routines. Avoid too much noise — lower the volume on your earphones, wear hearing protectors, plant a tree as a noise buffer. Improve your speech clarity by speaking to yourself in the mirror or repeating tongue twisters.
- Talk about your journey: If you’ve experienced a communication disorder in your lifetime, or if you know of someone who has (and you have permission to share their story), sharing this will not only prove cathartic but can influence someone else to seek help without stigma or hesitation.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
- it affects a sizeable chunk of the world’s population, according to estimation, around 5% experiences hearing loss
- it increases with age, almost 42% of 50 year olds have hearing loss, and this increases as they grow older.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTION STRATEGY(S)
An OT works with children/persons who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) to improve their ability to divide their visual attention and they assist them to improve hand and eye coordination and self-regulation with the structure of their handwriting, such as correcting missed spaces between characters, key words, or grammar. They also teach them ways to navigate their environment and recommend appropriate assistive device/technology.
An occupational therapist works with individuals to assess their requirements and implement a plan to improve their sensory processing. This helps to ensure that the body receives and responds to correct messages from the muscles regarding their position and relationship to each other.
They assist in managing anxiety and stress relief, assist in the use of adaptive equipment or aid amongst other intervention strategies.
Contact us on enabilityot.com for guidance.