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In Zimbabwe, a nonprofit is helping the hearing-impaired find independence

In Zimbabwe, a nonprofit is helping the hearing-impaired find independence

AFTER impatiently outside the maternity ward on November 7, 1997, Lyndon Nkomo – a Zimbabwean-based lawyer - was overjoyed to receive news that he was father to a baby boy. But for the next two years, baby Dumisani would not respond to sounds. "I would shout and cheer at the top of my voice, but the baby would not startle at the loud sounds but remained unusually quiet," said Nkomo. Perplexed by the unusual scenario, the parents took their baby to the doctor. "It was a Damascan moment of my life when the audiologist who performed the tests established that…
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Children with hearing problems: why acting early can make all the difference

Children with hearing problems: why acting early can make all the difference

EARLY hearing detection and intervention is the gold standard for any practising audiologist and families of infants and children with hearing impairment. KATIJAH KHOZA-SHANGASE, Associate professor, University of the Witwatersrand The goal of early hearing detection and intervention programmes is to identify, diagnose and take action early in a child’s life. The ideal sequence of events is: screening by six weeks of age, diagnosis by four months of age and commencement of intervention by eight months of age. This offers a much better chance of helping children develop and achieve at the same level as their hearing peers. Research has…
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