Deaf newborn and his family on speech therapy since the universal newborn screening in France

Abstract

This report provides key examples in speech therapist care with deaf newborns and their parents. Since 2012, the universal newborn hearing screening has been put into effect in hospitals in France. This measure influences the follow-up of the deaf newborn and allows an early intervention, particularly in speech therapy. An investigation was implemented and eight semi-directive interviews were conducted with speech therapists working with deaf newborns. There have been several changes since 2012. The babies that were born deaf are screened earlier, particularly for the moderate and mild deafness. Even if this process takes time, the origin of the diagnosis can be identified earlier. A parental support is identified by the speech therapist during this point of care. The speech therapy treatments at home are ecological but practiced only by employed speech therapists. Wherever the medical care takes place, the treatment uses multi-sensory methods. The speech therapist explains the different types of communication and the possibilities of hearing rehabilitation. The ability to speak and have improved verbal and multilingual speaking abilities became much more attainable. Furthermore, the global duration of the reeducation decreases. An early intervention is supported by a multidisciplinary work that confirms the interest of professionals with deaf children. By increasing their resources this could encourage more speech therapists to work in this field and support care equality.