[Diagnosis and therapy of audiogenic communication development]

The diagnosis and therapy of audiogenic communication development require close interdisciplinary cooperation between physicians, specialist teachers, psychologists, psycholinguists, speech-language pathologists and logopedists. With regard to the treatment of speech problems, initial emphasis is on the development of an understanding of speech, enlargement of vocabulary, promotion of auditive discrimination and the development of syntax. In the case of deaf children too, promotion of speech communication by means of sounds is to the fore. However, the use of an additional sign language should not be denied a deaf child. The decision whether a def child should be sent to a "normal" School or to a special institution for the deaf will be determined largely by the speech competence of the child, and will include his/her intellectual, emotional and social skills. The aim of all supportive measures is to achieve the full integration of hearing-impaired children in society.