Training Teachers and Parents on Verbal Communication among Children with Hearing Impairment: Preliminary Results from Schools in Kenya

Purpose: We sought to assess the outcome of training parents and teachers on verbal communication with children that have hearing impairment in selected schools in Kenya. Methods: Four schools with 100 students; aged 5- 18 years were selected for the pilot. Teachers and parents were trained on the use of verbal communication with children with hearing impairment. We utilized a pre-post design and used validated questionnaires for data collection. Results: The proportion of parents that responded that their children could respond to environmental sounds significantly increased from 15.6% (95% CI 6.7, 24.5), to 87.5% (95% CI 79.4, 95.6) (p<0.05). A significant increase in the proportion of those that responded their children could vocalize was observed: 17.2% (CI 7.9, 26.4), to 87.5% (CI 79.4, 95.6) (P<0.05). Furthermore, 90.6% (95% CI 83.5, 97.8) (P<0.05) of parents perceived their children could talk more post-intervention. Approximately 50% of the teachers also observed much increase in the vocalization of the students. Conclusions: Result suggests a perception of increased environmental sounds awareness, vocalization and increased/improved speech due to the intervention. However, this result cannot demonstrate the long-term impact of the intervention on the quality of lives of the participants.