Özet:

Auditory training plays a very significant role for individuals who use amplification devices to comprehend speech in realistic situations. The current study focuses on the effectiveness of auditory training using hearing aids and developing speech perception skills among the children with profound hearing loss. A special education school of Rawalpindi having maximum number of profoundly deaf children using bilateral-digital-behind the ear hearing aid was selected. The research tool for the study was an Urdu Speech Perception Test (Noor & Arif, 2018) with the score range of 0-60, which was linguistically and culturally appropriate for the children. The students were pre-tested to check their current Urdu speech perception skills. Random assignment of the sample to the control and the experimental group was made in such a way that the total score of groups and the number of boys and girls of age 4-14 years were equal in both groups. The resultant groups made with the help of a volunteer teacher were having twelve students each. The auditory training protocol based on stages delineated by Erber (1974) was provided for a period of six weeks to the experimental group. Afterwards posttest scores of Urdu speech perception skills of both groups were obtained. The results revealed significant improvement in speech perception skills due to auditory training provided with hearing aids to the children with profound hearing loss regardless of their age and gender. The provision of hearing aids to profoundly deaf children was recommended due to its cost effectiveness and easy accessibility.

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