This book promotes the awareness and use of hearing as a powerful receptive/input modality for communication and learning. It describes the effective integration of hearing into early intervention programming and explains the many facets of hearing and hearing loss. Topics include the role of hearing, structure and function of the ear, ear pathologies pertinent to infants and toddlers (with special emphasis on otitis media), behavioural and objective measurements of hearing loss, educational and medical treatment of hearing loss, hearing technologies, and the development of listening skills. The book focuses on education and rehabilitation rather than on medical models and stresses the importance of facilitating hearing for all children, whether or not they have been diagnosed as "hearing impaired". This book should be of interest to speech-language pathologists, audiologists, occupational and physical therapists, paediatricians, neonatologists, nurses, and teachers.
