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Back to School Hearing

Prepping for back-to-school? Don’t forget hearing!

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Can you hear the back-to-school bell? 

It’s August, and that means pretty soon the kids will be saying goodbye to the summer vacation and saying hello to homework, books, and new schedules. We all want our kids to do well in school, but sometimes they struggle.

What if your child wasn’t able to hear as well as the other children? Did you know that hearing issues share many of the same symptoms as ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder)? Read more

Let’s Tackle Hearing and Speech Issues this May

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Let’s tackle hearing and speech issues this May

 

Better Hearing and Speech Month

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month and it’s the perfect opportunity to create understanding about communication disorders and how common they are. If you or a loved one experiences hearing or speech issues, visiting our clinic is not only normal, but encouraged! Read more

Stuttering Helpful tips for your child Jacksonville

Stuttering: 6 Helpful Tips for Your Child

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Stuttering

Also known as a form of dysfluency, stuttering is an interruption in the flow of speech. When children stutter, they’re usually repeating certain phrases, sounds, syllables, and words. Although it’s normal for children between the ages of two and five to stutter, children who stutter past five years old may need special treatment for this language disorder.

Stuttering: how to help my child

The Causes of Stuttering

Many experts believe that there are four primary factors that cause this condition.

  1. Genetics: Approximately 60 percent of people who stutter have a family member who also has this condition than those without.
  2. Child Development: Children with other developmental delays and language or dysfluency problems are more susceptible to this condition.
  3. Neurophysiology: Most children who stutter process language in a different area of the brain than other children. Because of the different way that the brain processes language, such differences in language processing also affects the muscles that control speech.
  4. Family Dynamics: Children who come from a family with a fast-paced lifestyle are also more likely to stutter.

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speech & hearing communication milestones

Identifying Your Child’s Communication Milestones

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Identifying Your Child’s Communication Milestones

As a parent of a child between the ages of one month and five years old, you’re probably wondering how you can identify your child’s communication milestones. When it comes to healthy speech and hearing development, these are undoubtedly the most important years of your child’s life. Below you will find developmental milestones which represent, on average, the age by which most children will accomplish the listed skills.

Children typically don’t master all items in a category until they reach the upper age in each age range. Although this range is a great guide that you can use to monitor your little one’s progress, just remember that every child is unique and has an individual rate of development. Keep in mind that your children may not necessarily have a disorder if they haven’t accomplished one skill within an age range. Here’s a brief summary of the important communication milestones. Read more

A Starter Pack for Concerned Parents

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Better Speech & Hearing

Navigating parenthood can be difficult, especially if you’re uncertain whether or not your child has a speech-language or hearing disorder. However, with the right amount of research and medical advice, you can begin taking steps to ensure that your child is placed in a treatment program that can help them attain academic and social success. Here’s a brief starter pack for parents who are unsure about speech-language and hearing disorders. More information can also be found here. 

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Speech & Language Activities for Children

Speech & Language Activities for Children

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Speech & Language Activities for Children

There are many easy activities that you can do with your children to encourage better speech and language skills. If you’d like to jumpstart language acquisition, consider making these speech and language activities with your children a part of your everyday lifestyle. Read more

Autism & Commuication

Autism and Communication

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Autism Speech Communication

What is autism?

Autism is a developmental disability that causes problems with social skills and communication. Autism can be mild or severe. It is different for every person. Autism is also known as autism spectrum disorders.

What are some signs or symptoms of autism?

Children with autism may have problems with communication, social skills, and reacting to the world around them. Not all behaviors will exist in every child. Possible signs and symptoms are outlined below. Read more

2014-2015 Speech and Hearing Fiscal Year Summary

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Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center is pleased to announce our 2014-205 Fiscal Year Summary. It was a fantastic year serving our community!

 

JSHC Fiscal Year Infographic

 

speech and hearing jacksonville

May Is Better Hearing and Speech Month

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Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center wants to remind Jacksonville residents that communication disorders are treatable by raising awareness that May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. Founded in 1949, Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center provides speech pathology and audiology evaluations and treatments including hearing aid fittings for children, adults and seniors from its office at 1128 N. Laura St.

Better Hearing and Speech Month

“Our staff of seasoned professionals has decades of experience in the areas of speech pathology and audiology,” said Mike Howland, President and CEO of Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center. “We work with everyone whether they have insurance or not to provide quality, affordable care.”

Hearing loss can affect children and adults.

Signs for parents to watch for with a child’s hearing loss is:

  • lack of attention to sounds,
  • does not follow simple directions,
  • delays in speech and language development,
  • and pulls or scratches his/her ears. 

In adults, hearing loss signs can include:

  • buzzing or ringing in ears,
  • muffled hearing,
  • increasing the volume on the television or radio,
  • constant frustration hearing speech and other sounds.

Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center offers a variety of hearing aids including in the canal and behind the ear.  Unlike many hearing aid centers, Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center works with a number of hearing aid manufacturers including Widex, Oticon, Siemens, Resound, Phonax and Unitron. This feature insures that the patient receives the type of hearing aid that will best help their particular hearing loss.

“Over 40 million Americans experience some kind of hearing loss,” said Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center audiologist Dr. Fenja Mattson. “Research has shown that addressing hearing loss can positively impact all aspects of a person’s life – personally, professionally and financially. I know we make it possible for people to continue to participate in the work force by wearing hearing aids.”

On the speech pathology side of the Center’s work, speech pathologists work with children and adults evaluating and treating language skills. Failure to assist children who have trouble with developing vocabulary or auditory processing can lead to problems in school. Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center can also work with children who are on the autism spectrum to help them improve their speech and adults who may have suffered speech impairment due to stroke.

“We have identified through pre-kindergarten screenings several preschoolers who have difficulty with articulation or stuttering disorders,” said Dorothy Train-Marsh, Speech Pathologist at Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center.  “These youngsters have now successfully exited the program with age appropriate skills that will give them a solid foundation for school.”

As part of its celebration of Better Hearing and Speech Month, Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center hosts the annual FinFest event at Timaquana Country Club. This event uses an island/beach theme to raise funds and awareness for patients of the Center who cannot afford treatment.

Click here to learn more about FinFest