The communicative interchanges of a congenitally deaf child who received a cochlear implant at 24 months of age were videotaped in fifteen hourly sessions over a nine month period while she participated in auditory-verbal therapy prior to and following implantation. The present study examined selected early communicative behaviors. Using Tait's (1993) protocol for charting communicative adult-child interaction, gestures, eye-gaze, and sound uttered either by the child or an adult during communicative interchanges were transcribed from the videotapes. Results corresponded with Tait's, revealing growth in the child's communicative interaction across sessions. In less than three months following implantation phonemic measures rose dramatically. Almost all phonemic measure correlations were significant, high, and positive.

A research report in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Audiology by coursework and research report in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / Auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) is an intervention approach used as part of an aural (re)habilitation programme conducted by an audiologist with deaf or hard-of-hearing (HOH) children. AVT is a refinement of the oral-aural approach and emphasizes listening instead of visual input. Previous research has focused on AVT in developed countries; however, there is limited available research in developing countries such as South Africa. This study explores and describes the relevance of AVT provided by audiologists in Gauteng, South Africa. The specific objectives of the study were to explore the differences between AVT and general paediatric aural rehabilitation therapies conducted by audiologists; the impact of language on the implementation of AVT and the challenges associated with AVT training. A qualitative research design was used. A purposive sampling strategy was used to identify and recruit participants. Ten audiologists currently conducting aural rehabilitation were selected to participate in the study. The sample size was divided into five audiologists who had obtained the LSL certification (equivalent to AVT certification) and five audiologists without the LSL certification. A pilot study was conducted prior to data collection to determine the applicability of the research study. Thereafter semi-structured interviews were conducted, using an interview schedule. Thematic analysis was employed and themes were described qualitatively. Results revealed the emergence of three resounding themes which included challenges, differences in therapy approaches, and implementation and contributing factors to the success of AVT. The results concluded the need for the implementation of newborn hearing screening programmes to assist with early identification and detection of hearing loss. The study identifies a strong need for the increase in the number of certified LSL therapists in South Africa and additional AVT comprehensive programmes to be implemented at various institutions in Gauteng. Awareness regarding the success of AVT implementation needs to be raised. Finally, the HPCSA needs to revisit and explicitly define the role of audiologists interacting with deaf or HOH children with the LSL qualification being a mandatory postgraduate pre-requisite for working in the field of aural rehabilitation. Key words: Auditory-verbal therapy; aural rehabilitation; deaf; hard-of-hearing. / GR2017

Thesis (MEdPsych)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Deaf learners are unique and require special support and assistance. It is apparent in the literature that deaf learners are more exposed to both physical and sexual abuse. The consequences of the latter can lead to emotional problems, for example, enuresis, anxiety disorders, depression, panic attacks, anger outbursts and attention deficits. One of the biggest challenges in the life of deaf learners must surely be communication. Misunderstandings and subsequent frustrations that ensue, normally occur as a result of communication difficulties between deaf learners and the hearing person. From the literature it appears necessary to stimulate the deaf learner's language development as early as possible, as it impacts on several aspects of his/her maturation into adulthood. Communication difficulties can also influence the emotional development of deaf learners. Therapeutic support for deaf learners are a challenge. The therapist that works with the learners should ideally be able to sign. The young deaf learners do, however, not yet have a signing system and consequently communication is problematic. The learners themselves experience frustrations as he/she is not able to express his/her emotions. The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of developmental play therapy as a psychotherapeutic technique for the treatment of emotional problems in young deaf learners. To some degree, the technique makes it possible for verbal communication between therapist and learners to be replaced by physical contact. The aim of the activities is to take learners back to the early mother-child relationship and for the therapist to model healthy relationships. The research undertaken here is a qualitative case study. It was approached from an eco-systemic perspective, in other words learners are viewed as the core system which, in turn, is part of several other systems for example the family, school, church, community, etc. The systems are interdependent, which means that change in the one system also results in change within the other systems. In the data production video recordings, unstructured interviews, observations and field notes were used. Data analysis was done using the principles of coding. The results of the study show that developmental play therapy is indeed an effective psychotherapeutic technique in the treatment of emotional problems in young deaf learners. It would appear that the technique requires adaptation for deaf learners needs in order to be effective. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dowe leerders is uniek en het spesiale ondersteuning nodig. Uit die literatuur wil dit blyk of dowe leerders meer blootgestel word aan beide fisiese en seksuele mishandeling. Die gevolge van laasgenoemde kan lei tot meer emosionele probleme, byvoorbeeld enurese, angsversteurings, depressie, paniekaanvalle, woedeuitbarstings en aandagafleibaarheid. Een van die grootste uitdagings in dowe leerders se lewe is seker kommunikasie. Misverstande en frustrasies wat daaruit vloei, ontstaan gewoonlik as gevolg van kommunikasieprobieme tussen dowe leerders en die horende persoon. Uit die literatuur blyk dit noodsaaklik om dowe leerders se taalontwikkeling so vroeg as moontlik te stimuleer aangesien dit verskeie aspekte in sy/haar volwassewordingsproses beïnvloed. Kommunikasieprobleme het ook 'n invloed op dowe leerders se emosionele ontwikkeling. Terapeutiese ondersteuning van dowe leerders is 'n uitdaging. Die terapeut wat met die leerders werk, moet verkieslik gebaretaal kan praat. Die jong dowe leerders het egter nog nie werklik 'n gebaresisteem nie en gevolglik is kommunikasie 'n probleem. Die leerders self ervaar frustrasies, omdat hy/sy nie die vermoê het om uiting te gee aan sy/haar emosies nie. Die doel met hierdie studie was om die moontlikheid van ontwikkelende speelterapie as psigoterapeutiese tegniek in die hantering van emosionele probleme by jong dowe leerders te ondersoek. Die tegniek maak dit in 'n mate moontlik om die verbale kommunikasie tussen terapeut en leerders te vervang met fisiese kontak. Die doel met die aktiwiteite is om die leerders terug te neem na die vroeê moeder - kindverhouding en gesonde verhoudings deur die terapeut te modelleer. Die navorsing neem die vorm van 'n kwalitatiewe gevallestudie aan. Dit word benader vanuit 'n ekosistemiese perspektief, dit wil sê die leerders word gesien as die kernsisteem wat deel is van verskeie ander sisteme soos byvoorbeeld die familie, skool, kerk en gemeenskap. Die sisteme is interafhanklik wat beteken dat verandering in die een sisteem ook verandering in die ander sisteme tot gevolg het. In die data-produksie is tegnieke naamlik video-opnames, ongestruktureerde onderhoude, observasies en veldnotas gebruik. Data-analise is volgens die beginsels van kodering gedoen. Die resultate van die onderhewige studie wys daarop dat ontwikkelende speelterapie wel In effektiewe psigoterapeutiese tegniek is in die hantering van emosionele probleme by jong dowe leerders. Dit wil voorkom of die tegniek aangepas moet word by dowe leerders se behoeftes om werklik effektief te wees.