Amaliya Foundation helps hearing-impaired children

by Rohana Jayalal

The Amaliya Foundation launched the Amaliya Early Learning Centre (ELC) to help hearing-impaired infants and young children to listen and acquire speech and language skills while learning readiness skills such as arithmetic, reading and writing.

Chairman, Amaliya Foundation, Ajay Amalean said a separate curriculum for hearing-impaired children is important because, while normal children and their parents learn by listening naturally, hearing-impaired children and their parents will have to work twice as hard to maximise the advantage of the critical age (up to three years) and the child's residual hearing, to have age appropriate learning by age six,

The main aim of the Centre is to provide an opportunity for hearing-impaired children up to five years to learn and develop speech with a comprehensive early intervention program.

It helps children to make the best use of their residual hearing though the constant use of suitable hearing aids or cochlear implants to develop age appropriate language skills. The curriculum prepares each child to enroll in a regular school at the age of six, he said.Principal, ELC, Nisha Amalean who has 25 years' experience in dealing with a hearing-impaired child, said that early intervention is crucial for hearing-impaired children if they are to master speech and language.

The neural plasticity of the brain which enables children to learn and develop easily is very active in a child up to three years. This way the child will develop at a reasonable pace and age appropriate language and memory skills. Developing these skills will also help prevent secondary disabilities such as frustration and temper tantrums, she said.