Aural/Oral Rehabilitation Program

The JISH Aural/ Oral Rehabilitation Program is the first program of its kind in the region. Initially established to serve the local pediatric hearing impaired community, today, it serves children from all over Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries. Uniquely, the program was designed for an Arabic speaking population by native Arabic speaking ASHA certified speech language pathologists, and in line with the standards set by the American Speech and Hearing Association. The program includes a parent training component which provides parents and caregivers with strategies to promote speech and language development.

Today, with the advances made in cochlear implants and hearing aid technologies, hearing impaired infants as young as one month can be fitted with hearing aids, and infants as young as ten months are implanted with new cochlear devices that cover all the spectrum of sound. Once a child is fitted with hearing aids, or is implanted; it is imperative that the “habilitation” of his speech and language begins.

The JISH Aural/Oral rehabilitation or “habilitation” program is designed to help children learn to use their residual hearing to its maximum potential. The program’s goal is to help children develop their language skills by learning to listen in order to help them integrate in a hearing society. In addition to providing individual sessions to the children, the aural/oral therapists work closely with the parents or caregivers to provide them with strategies needed to promote listening and verbal communication.