From hearing technologies to recumbent tricycles: communication and social participation for children and young people

Everyone wants to communicate, understand and participate in social life. For children and young people with disabilities in particular, it is important to train their communication and social skills at an early stage using suitable assistive devices. Various companies offer solutions that enable support in communication and participation.

Whether seeing, speaking or hearing, children and young people with disabilities rely on communication aids depending on their individual case. For example, there are an increasing number of hearing aids and smart home applications that support people who are hard of hearing or deaf. In the school context, it is also essential to pay attention to a suitable learning environment at an early stage. Sonova, Phonak Division, offers different hearing solutions for adults as well as children and adolescents. "The earlier a child is provided with the optimal hearing solution, the better he or she can develop linguistically and socially. Hearing is not a question of 'all or nothing'. Even a mild hearing loss during the critical years of speech development can cause a child to misunderstand speech, resulting in a delay in the development of communication skills," said Jan-Christian Fross, Manager PR/Social Media at Phonak.

Therefore, after a clear diagnosis of hearing loss, appropriate hearing technology should be used as soon as possible. "Reciprocal interactions are essential for building strong, trusting relationships in childhood. These interactions stimulate neural connections, shape brain architecture and support the development of communicative and social skills. For children with hearing loss, hearing technology provides access to these essential interactions," Fross explains.

Background noise, reverberation and distance from the person speaking, which are commonplace in the classroom, can further impair hearing. Phonak's Roger portfolio offers different intuitive and easy-to-use technologies for the modern classroom. This is characterized by a dynamic learning environment, as group work, presentations and the use of multimedia devices encourage communication and exchange between students and teachers.

The Roger portfolio is also a central part of the Phonak booth at REHACARE 2023, and the entire team is looking forward to demonstrating how Roger helps bridge language barriers, providing optimal solutions for children, young people and teachers. "Children are our future. By giving them access to the diverse world of sound, we can help them develop the listening skills they need to succeed in life," Fross says.

In addition to communication, play and exercise are also part of everyday life for children. Well-being, motor skills, and health can thus be promoted in the long term. If this is not readily possible due to physical limitations, the therapy bikes from HASE BIKES, for example, can be a way to meet the basic daily need for playful exercise.

"The special bikes from HASE BIKES enable young people and children with disabilities to be independently mobile. They promote motor skills, social behavior – and of course self-confidence," explains Stephan Moldenhauer, Sales Project Manager at HASE BIKES. There is a choice of recumbent tricycles for children between 100 and 150 centimeters tall (TRETS) and for children and young people between 125 and 190 centimeters tall (TRIX). Thomas Rienth, head of the bicycle club at the Kaywald School in Lauffen, which is equipped with HASE BIKES bicycles, says: "We have noticed a significant increase in body awareness, self-esteem, and social competence among the participating students. Some of the students are now even completely independent in road traffic." 

Therapy bikes can be applied for as assistive devices from the health insurance fund (in Germany). In this guide (in German language), HASE BIKES explains what to look out for. "Our two trikes for children and young people – TRIX and TRETS – each have an aid number. This simplifies the application process in many cases," says Moldenhauer.

In addition to hearing technologies and special bikes, there are of course many other assistive devices that provide great support for children and young people in many areas of life. Whether it's eating, dressing or getting around – read this article on REHACARE.com to find out how self-determination is possible for children and young people in everyday activities.

Isabel Günther
(translated by Lena Schmidt)
REHACARE.com