By jyoti.nale@savethechildrenindia.org | Project Leader
In India, 63 million people (6.3%) suffer from significant auditory loss. An estimated 8 in 1,000 infants are born with moderate to profound hearing impairment. One estimate record that over 27,000 children are born deaf every year in India.
The most intensive period for development of language, either spoken or signed, is during the first 3 years of life. This is the period when the brain is developing and maturing. The skills associated with effective acquisition of language, either speech or sign, depend on exposure to, and manipulation of, these communication tools.
The most intensive period for development of language, either spoken or signed, is during the first 3 years of life. This is the period when the brain is developing and maturing. The skills associated with effective acquisition of language, either speech or sign, depend on exposure to, and manipulation of, these communication tools.
Over the past 10 years, parents from all over Maharashtra have been referred to Dhvani from hospitals, training institutions and other professionals. Dhvani has emerged as a credible resource centre, facilitating training of other professionals and the mentoring of new AVT specialists, through internships and observation sessions in partnership with AVT courses in the city.
The center also facilitates cochlear implants for children whom it can benefit. This is done in partnership with Cochlear India Pvt. Ltd. to enable access of best devices, services and treatment for children from marginalized communities.
So far, in 2020-21, Dhvani impacted over 85 children and conducted more than 2000 AVT sessions. 3 cochlear surgeries were successfully facilitated and over 100 newborns were screened in a pilot process with a local municipal corporation.
Even as Dhvani continues to work with individual children to enable initiation into the world of speech and hearing, it seeks to take this work beyond Mumbai into areas where this facility may not be available.
in response to the lockdown as a result of Covid 2019, the team has worked on remote therapy sessions with the current set of children who are engaged at Dhvani. Through this year, an SOP will be developed and formalized for remote working, enabling people traveling from long distances to optimize on risk and result proactively.
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
