MICHA: Press News and Views

"Another school year has come to an end, and, of the 250 preschool hearing-impaired children out on summer vacation, thirty have "graduated" from MICHA Tel-Aviv and will be starting first grade in the fall. The educational framework for each child is determined by the level of his speach and language skills acquired during early preschool years at MICHA.

"As explained by Dr. Carole Froehlich, Educational Director of MICHA Tel-Aviv and Central region, these children have reached the end of a lengthy and tedious process. From the moment that his hearing-impairment is detected, the child undergoes a series of hearing aid fittings by MICHA audiologists in order to find the type of instrument most beneficial to him. He is loaned various aids from MICHA's Loaner Bank and is frequently examined to check his responses to tones of various intensities and frequencies, so that his hearing aids can be continuously adjusted. Only upon final determination of the most effective type of instrument for him, can his parents purchase his permanent hearing aids.

"According to Dr. Froehlich, studies have shown that the fetus actually hears during pregnancy. A child born with impaired-hearing starts out with a deficiency affecting his speach and language development, which can influence his learning ability. While hearing aids are not a 'miraculous cure' for hearing impairment, they enable the hearing-impaired child to become acquanted with the world of sound and develop language, thus helping to minimize the gap between him and his hearing peers. An important part of the process includes guidancve and encouragement to the child's parents and family. The more naturally that the parents accept their child's need for hearing aids and encourage him to use them in order to expose him to speach and sound, the greater chances are that the child will learn to speak and develop his maximum educational potential."