Not only does music bring a lot of joy to children, but it can be a valuable learning tool as well. After all, children first learn their ABCs by singing along. Music has also been proven to be a valuable tool in helping children who are deaf or have profound hearing loss improve their speech and language skills.
How Music Lessons Benefit Deaf Children
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing often have delays in their speech and language development. However, research has shown that regular music lessons can help.
A study published in 2014 examined the effects of music on learning by comparing two groups of profoundly deaf children.
The first group participated in weekly music lessons for a period of 1.5-4 years, while the other group did not. The results showed that those who had regular music lessons exhibited better auditory perception and cognition and were better able to discern sounds than those who did not.
Ways To Incorporate Music Into Everyday Life
In addition to signing your child up for lessons at Denville Music Academy, there are several other ways you can incorporate music to help your child improve their language skills and sound recognition.
- Use visual cues. When singing to your child, pair visual cues with the words you are using. For example, if you are singing a song about farm animals, you could use stuffed animals or figurines to help your child connect the word and the object.
- Make music a part of your routine. Having a song that you sing or play when it’s time to clean up or get ready for bed not only makes these activities more fun but helps your child connect words to actions.
- Encourage them to sing. During sing-a-longs, it can be helpful to pause or leave space for your child to fill in certain lyrics on their own to keep them engaged and help them practice speech sounds.
- Band practice. Use pots and pans as drums to help your child experiment with rhythm and sound. You can also prompt them by saying things like “go fast” or “play softer” to help them practice responding to cues.
Treating Pediatric Hearing Loss
While music is a great tool for pediatric hearing loss, the most important thing you can do as a parent of a child who struggles to hear is to make sure they are diagnosed early and treated with pediatric hearing aids or cochlear implants.
If you have concerns about your child’s hearing, call the experts at Speech & Hearing Associates today and schedule an appointment for a hearing test.