To help your child learn speech reading, you should look directly at your child’s face when you are speaking.
Speech reading (or lip reading) is a building block that helps a child with hearing loss understand speech. The child watches the movements of a speaker’s mouth and face, and understands what the speaker is saying. About 40% of the sounds in the English language can be seen on the lips of a speaker in good conditions — such as a well-lit room where the child can see the speaker’s face. But some words can’t be read. For example: “bop”, “mop”, and “pop” look exactly alike when spoken. (You can see this for yourself in a mirror). A good speech reader might be able to see only 4 to 5 words in a 12-word sentence.
Children and adults often use speech reading in combination with other building blocks — such as auditory training (listening), cued speech, and others. But it can’t be successful alone. Babies will naturally begin using this building block if they can see the speaker’s mouth and face. But as a child gets older, he or she will still need some training to use this building block.
Sometimes, when talking with a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing, people will exaggerate their mouth movements or talk very loudly. Exaggerated mouth movements and a loud voice can make speech reading very hard. It is important to talk in a normal way and look directly at your child’s face and make sure he or she is watching you.
Speech
For babies and toddlers
Getting ready to use sounds in words
Encouraging new sounds and words
For children
Childhood apraxia of speech
Learning speech sounds in English
Language
For babies and toddlers
Balancing screen time
Building your baby's language skills
Building your toddler's language skills
Helping your child learn by giving them choices
How can I help my baby listen and talk?
Learning new words with songs and fingerplay
Learning together
Signing with your child
Using books to help your toddler learn language
Words and concepts
For preschoolers
101 Conversation topics for kids
Balancing screen time
Helping children follow directions
Helping children remember what they hear
Helping your child learn by giving them choices
Helping your child learn new words
Phonological awareness
Using storybooks to teach your child language skills
For elementary school children
101 Conversation topics for kids
Balancing screen time
Helping children express themselves
Helping children remember what they hear
Helping your child learn language skills
Phonological awareness
For adolescents
Helping your child move from elementary school to junior high
Thinking skills for learning and life
For adults
Aphasia
How to manage memory problems
Tips for communicating with someone who has dementia
Hearing
For children
Childhood ear infections
Helping children with hearing loss to listen and learn
How do I know if my child can hear me?
For adults
Communicating if you have hearing loss
Communicating with people who have trouble hearing
Tips for when it's hard to communicate
Guide to buying hearing aids for adults
Literacy
For babies and toddlers
Having fun with books
Sound play with babies
For preschoolers
Early literacy
For elementary school children
Becoming a better reader
Helping your child understand what they read
Telling stories to improve writing
Voice and resonance
Learn more
How your voice works
Keeping your voice healthy
Voice problems
Vocal nodules
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Resonance disorders
Feeding and swallowing
Learn more
Feeding and swallowing problems
Swallowing x-ray barium and modified barium
Stuttering
Learn more
What is stuttering
What you can do to help a child who stutters
How a teacher can help a student who stutters
Tips to help you speak with someone who stutters
About Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists
Resources
QUICK LINKS
Communicating with people who have trouble hearing
Be patient
- Ask the person with hearing loss if there’s anything you can do to help him or her understand what you’re saying.
- Give the person time to practice being an effective hearing aid user. While hearing aids are helpful, the listener may sometimes still have trouble understanding speech.
- Be supportive. The person may have more trouble understanding if he or she is frustrated.
Help the person get the message
- Call the person’s name or touch his or her arm before you start talking.
- Tell the person what you’re going to talk about and if the topic changes.
- Talk at an average rate, loud enough to be heard. Don’t shout.
- Move things away from your face before talking (e.g., pens, books, hands, cigarettes). The listener may have trouble lip-reading if you chew gum or have a beard or moustache.
- Change the words or repeat the message if the listener doesn’t understand your message.
- Be expressive and use gestures (people use body language for clues to what you’re saying).
Choose a good place to communicate
- Move close to the person when you speak. The best distance for communication is about 3 to 4 feet.
- Move to the same room and get his or her attention before you start talking.
- Sit or stand across from the person and look at him or her when you talk.
- Find a bright place to talk. Communication is easier in good lighting where people can easily see your face.
Lower the noise level
- Turn off or move away from things that make noise (e.g., TVs, fans, open windows) before talking to someone.
- Use carpet instead of linoleum, upholstered furniture instead of wood, and put wallpaper or pictures on the walls and curtains on the windows in your home when possible. Sound bounces off hard surfaces and creates echoes, making speech harder to hear.
When it’s harder to communicate
Talking in groups
- Talk to people in small groups and try to have only 1 person talk at a time. It can be hard to listen in large groups.
- Let the hearing-impaired person know what you’re talking about and if the topic changes.
Talking in restaurants
- Choose bright and quiet restaurants.
- Go to restaurants when they’re less likely to be busy and noisy.
- Try not to sit close to noisy areas like the kitchen, lounge, or front door.
- Ask for a high-backed booth or a table along a side wall.
- Let the hearing-impaired person pick his or her seat first.
- Sit across from the listener instead of beside them.
Telephones
- Speak clearly. It’s often hard for a hearing-impaired person to hear on the telephone. Cell phones and phones with poor sound quality make it very hard for a hearing-impaired person to hear.
- Tell the person your name and when you change the topic.
Where to go get help
For more information about how speech-language pathologists and audiologists can help, contact:
- Your doctor, public health nurse, or other health provider
- Your local health centre
Current as of: February 1, 2021
Author: Adapted by Speech-Language Pathology from Alberta College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (ACSLPA)
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